How to Spot a Modeling / Acting Scam

There are too many marketing companies that prey on a persons quest for fame. These companies and their affiliates post casting notices, auditions and ads on Craigslist, and other free classified sites that refer to fake auditions and non existent castings for jobs that sound real. Some also use ads on the radio and newspapers to entice people.

Here is why they do this. Money!
There are many different scams preying on people trying to break into the industry. Here are just a few.

There are many companies claiming to be agencies that will claim to find you work… if you pay them. They don’t just come out and ask for money, they first get your confidence and reel you in slowly. Often times they schedule a “fake” audition (they don’t ask for money here to put you at ease), then they call and tell you ‘you are great’ come in for a 2nd audition and sometimes a 3rd. Once there, they tell you “you are perfect… but…”. This is where the salesperson kicks in and tries to sell you on photos, portfolios, online portfolios, classes, conventions and anything else they can push on you. The audition was not actually for a real part in any production, it was to evaluate how much you will spend and how much they can sucker you out of.

Then there are companies that don’t sell any services themselves, they get paid to sell your information to companies that have telemarketers and salespeople.

The companies / individuals involved are paid to get “leads”. Leads are people of a certain demographic such as child, teen, man, etc. that have a interest, such as acting or modeling, that they can later exploit by way of email spam, telemarketing, etc. After you answer a “fake” casting (much of craigslist was fake when I tested it), you will begin getting offers through email and sales pitches from telemarketers, all aimed at getting you to sign up for some service.

Many times they call you and say they have an audition for you. They pose as casting directors, agents, etc. They try to get you excited and pump up your ego with flattery. Real agents and casting directors do not just pick a name ‘out of a hat’ and offer a high paying acting job to someone they never met or seen perform.

When the telemarketers are done with you, your info gets sold to the next company and the routine starts again. Some internet marketers go as far as responding to your inquiry with a message that “you are perfect” or “will send the audition details”, but first… please go here and do this.

This is a different type of scam and not that obvious to most.
Those affiliates get paid to funnel people to other sites, usually sites that deal with background checks or security of some kind. Age and citizenship verification are a common ploy. I answered one Extra casting (sounded very real) that sent me to a site that does ssl certificates. Most people would not even understand that ssl certification is for online shopping carts and has zero to to do acting or auditions. The marketer just used that because it went along the lines of “verify your identity” for the fake casting call and he gets paid 30 bucks for every FREE lead he sends to the company. He is scamming them too! I was looking for an audition, NOT a shopping cart! I am useless as a lead to them, but he still gets paid ’till caught. Then he moves on to the next company looking for leads.

Here’s how to spot the real castings from the fakes.

Remember, real casting directors will always want a headshot, resume, acting reel, and for modeling things such as height, weight, size, etc. If all they ask for is an optional photo and contact info than beware. The scammers need the photo because the sales pitch involves a lot of flattery. The sales pitch is honed to make you feel special and chosen.

Beware of anyone looking for “new faces”. Everyone has a new face! You can walk out your door and find dozens in a minute! The word “new faces” is a red flag.

Beware of general needs such as “any ethnicity, ages 5 to 75” that’s almost EVERYONE! Real castings have specific needs (with the exception of extras / background).

Beware of “no experience necessary.” While some casting calls for kids and background actors do not require experience, most principal roles require both.

Beware of ads with large pay. Ads that read like “models and actors needed for ‘put in any large brand here’ pay is $1800 daily and job is 4 to 5 days….”

Beware of ads that quote union rates such as $752 a day without mention of union. They are just pulling union jobs knowing you have ZERO way of getting the gig or worse, making them up and quoting union rates.

Beware of anything that asks for lingerie, topless, etc. and request pics from you to be considered. Use your imagination on what someone will do with those. Real casting directors will want head shots, full body shot(clothed) and measurements.

Beware of webcam auditions, Skype auditions and the like from people you do not know. There are legit ones done that way with experienced actors and scammers are playing on that. There have been many scams where ladies did those and were talked out of their clothing by people saying “I need to see what you really look like” and other lines. Those videos then get sold in other countries and end up all over the internet for other’s enjoyment.

Beware of Extras casting calls that are nationwide. Generally, large productions go through a casting company. Anyone posting things like “Extras needed to make scene look ‘real’, ‘Insert big movie name here’ pays $300 daily” is a scam. Non-Union extras earn about minimum wage and are ALWAYS cast locally.

Beware of anyone asking you to follow a link to do a background check. Do not sign up for any background or age verification site. Those are 100% scam, even though it seems free for you to do it, the scammer is selling your info to an unsuspecting company and you will never hear back about the audition.

Beware of anything that says call some number, casting agents are waiting. Casting directors look at headshots and resumes than call back who they like. They do not sit by a phone waiting for everyone and their mom to call without even knowing if they fit. Basically, they call you if they like you.

Beware of ANYONE that approaches you at a shopping mall to sign you up to audition for Disney Channel or whatever. Those are 100% fake. Disney does not work that way nor does any casting director. Those are sales people who are trying to get you in the door so they can then sell you stuff. There is no audition!!!!! You will be wasting your time going and many meetings later they will ask for payment for some inferior service. It takes many meeting because they attempt to gain your trust and have you invest your time. They try to make it look like they are doing auditions, then callbacks, etc. Not for a real role. It is for the opportunity to work with them and they make people feel special for being selected to come back so much. Fact is, they do that with everyone and the only thing they are evaluating is your ability to pay up.

And lastly, beware of anyone selling anything. Remember, you applied for a JOB! Means, they pay YOU!

How to protect yourself:

Get an email, an anonymous one for casting calls that you respond to. That way if it gets spammed, you can change it easily.

NEVER, follow a link to another site asking you to enter private information that has zero to do with what you are applying for.

Do your homework – Google company names. If you want to see any bad press you can Google ‘company name scam’ or things along that line. Check consumer report sites. Many try to hide the bad press and small operations change names often. If you can’t find anything about them, that’s a red flag.

You can check how long their website has been around by doing a ‘who is’ search. I just ran into a agency that looked fishy the other day. They claimed tons of credits and offered promises of fame. I checked them out. Their company website was created a few days back, hosted in the Ukraine and registered anonymously. Unless the Ukraine is the new Hollywood, I’m thinking, this may be a scam.

Remember, if it sounds like a dream, it most likely is just some low life trying to pay his bills off yours. Real jobs take commitment, training and diligence. You begin at the bottom with low paying jobs and castings in small productions, then work your way up as it is in any industry. Once you get some training, a resume and experience, then you get an agent to go after the larger jobs.

With all the above said, there are great opportunities available. You just need to learn how to stay away from the scammers. With practice, you will learn to spot the real from the fake. Even I still get fooled by some. Luckily, the readers normally catch those and leave me a comment to remove the spam.

Also, comments are taken and will be posted on this page. Add your own tips to avoid modeling and acting scams. I will moderate and post.

The best way to check sketchy stuff out is by way of a whois search of the domain. See https://whois.icann.org/en/lookup?name=
If the site was created recently or the owner is anonymous… think about why. Would you really hand money to a person who is “annonymous?” Many scammy companies change names often to stay ahead of negative reports, the district attorneys, etc.

I would like to know the same thing! Gigs USA offered me a job at Tjmaxx for $600 and in the email they said I needed to pay a subscription of $30 so they could send me more and more jobs. I think it is a scam!

Has anyone heard of gigsusa.net they offered a photo shoot with tjmaxx that pays $600 a day but I would have to pay $30/month. Would this be a scam I never paid anything but they got my attention with the pay.

Have you ever had to pay a job? No. That is not how things work. It is not legal to demand money for employment. Read the TOS to know. Telemarketers & sales people can promise anything as long as it is not in writing. No way to prove they promised anything. Salespeople make commissions and will say anything to get the money. 100% scam.

They told me the exact same thing. I saw the Ad on Facebook. She told me I would be good for TjMaxxx for $600.00 to contact her. She even gave me her info. I’m not sure but it sounds way to good to be true.

If it sounds too good to be true… It most likely is. Just remember to never pay any money to get an audition. Do not get talked into a salesman’s pitch for headshots, classes, online profiles, etc. Casting directors do not advertise normally.

My daughter she signed in from Facebook Ad asking for Vocal Audition. She key in my mobile number and email address. I was looking into my mails when I saw an email from Vocal Star but she didn’t know if it is scam as she so fascinated with the ads and making a surprise for me. So what should I do when she already signed from the Facebook ads and placed her seat confirmation? What shall I do then? I know it is a scam, somehow, and I told her. She is so frightened that she couldn’t sleep. What will happen to my number? Can they still hack or what can I do about it? Please reply me please. I need help in this.

A person is offering me a catalog work – 4 hours, $1400, out of which $400 I get up front via mailed check and $1000 after the shoot. They offer hair, makeup, clothes, I can bring someone to the shoot with me and they even have a “posing coach” whatever that might be. I just recently parted with my modeling agency and this offer just seems way too good to be true and also seems so weird. Do you think it’s a scam?

Just putting it out there, I had seen an audition for dancers, singers, and actors for a movie called Oasis that I had submitted to I got an Audition for Beach Girl 1 and was contacted by Aidan Wright. I just received an email from him saying that unfortunately I did not receive a role (not a big deal) but that he was contacting me to see if I was willing to help him with his diet to lose 15lbs by making out with him in his hot tub for every day that he ate healthy and that he had checked with his lawyers to make sure that that was legal. DO NOT RESPOND TO ANY AUDITION INFORMATION THAT HAST TO DO WITH A MOVIE CALLED OASIS IF AIDAN WRIGHT’S NAME IS ATTACHED TO IT!

so at first I was so glad I came upon this forum and got valuable helpful info from everyone. I also love that erica and the freecasting site people take their time to reply back and help everyone. It gives me even more comfort to trust the site and the stuff being published here. but then, now I feel as though a lot of the things you warn us from, such as the fact that large productions don’t publish online or advertise online for casting calls, modeling jobs are not advertised online ever,etc. You yourself have posted it on the site. I don’t mean to insult you in any way, just that all the info I learned has now gotten me confused and therefore worried. like, is this site also just like casting360, castinghub,etc, except that it doesn’t charge for anything and only gives out info for casting calls? or are the casting calls here really real? Do you also research and validate the casting calls you post making sure its legit first? or do you just post it and its at our own risk? You said Disney never advertises online casting calls but I see a casting call for Disney on the site right now. So I’m very worried whether or not I should continue to respond to these casting calls for my little brother anymore because what if i unintentionally cause him to be scammed? Please respond and thyx for the forum and all your efforts in all you provide.

So to answer this…
All casting notices are from 3rd parties. It is how all casting / audition sites work when they cover many areas. Casting directors do their thing locally. Most only deal with a few productions at a time. Casting directors are paid to find the right talent for their OWN clients. Sites like this one, allow MANY casting directors to post their notices. They do this to reach more people that may fit.
This is a free casting site, meaning no one pays anything… not to post, or to apply. It is informational only. I list casting notices, period.
It is up to the people looking at them to make their own decisions. I simply list the notice and the contact info submitted. No, I have no way of knowing the intentions of the casting director. There is no way to do that. You mentioned some scammy sites, this site is not that. Remember, you pay nothing! This site actually began as a response to, now defunct, scammy sites, that required a money payment for the information. One in particular, wanted money to submit, never gave YOU the info, used a form (not your own email) so that the user would never realize that 99% of those paid submissions got returned and nobody ever saw them. When you submit through a form, (which people love because it’s 1 click, easy, and made to look that way) you have no idea if it got returned. I list the actual emails so people DO KNOW what happened by way of their own email.

Everyone applying to anything needs to do their own research about the production. Everyone needs to do their own due diligence. Like any job, you need to do your own research into the project. This is a job listing site for the acting / entertainment industry. Just like any other job site, you read it, maybe contact them, and do your own research.

Every site, both paid and not, will list notices from 3rd parties. No one can protect you but yourself, this is the Internet. I have seen tons of scams listed across all the paid sites as well. Any website, ANY, has no way to know the intention of the person who is posting.

No one can scam you unless you allow it. Scams involve a victim paying a scammer. My “red flags” involve… YOU paying them in any way. If you apply for any job, you do not expect to have to pay THEM! You do not cash their checks and send back money! If something is too good to be true, it is not true.

Anyone who says that they will get you a role for any payment is scamming you.

As for Disney, my commentary is in regards to the companies that will tell people that “your kid will be a star,” but we need payment. It does not work that way. Various Disney companies and projects do have casting calls now and then. They do not ask for any payments, any classes, showcases, etc. My comments are mainly about being told your child will be a star in Disney TV shows. Disney does, now and then, hold open calls for new projects that are hard to cast. They never require payment of any kind. Those opportunities are not on a worldwide casting tour, stopping at every city / town / village, along the way.

The best defense against the scammers, Disney scammers or otherwise, is research. Every scammy company has either horrible reviews or none at all (because they switch names.) Scammers will pressure people to DO IT NOW or lose the chance. That is a sales tactic because they do not want anyone to Google them.

Most people would never go to a job interview without knowing what the company is about. No one should go to a casting call without knowing what the company is about.

The scammers arrived in Canada, Montreal too… (removed), who asked for my daughter’s talent 1590 usd the first down payment the second 2900 usd the third 4900 and the 4th 8900 usd . Also casting was for all ages, new faces, modeling, singing, acting, dancing all together… Be careful!

Location: Dallas, TX
Schemers: Casting (not sure if it is the same as Casting Hub and they conveniently changed their name to Casting, because an internet search pulls up a myraid of hits)
NOTE: I will post this story on all websites that helped me figure out the company called “Casting” is a scam!

My story: Heard a radio Ad for casting calls for Disney Channel, local commercials, modeling, etc. I didn’t think it was real because the commercial was so over the top but decided to call for kicks-and-giggles. To my surprise someone actually picked up. I give the lady who answered my name and email address and she sent me info on my audition time for that Saturday and the script for K-mart that I would have to memorize. Note: there were multiple scripts for different age groups. Auditions took place at the Marriott hotel in Dallas. Still skeptical but slightly convinced this may be the real deal as it would be taking place at a hotel ( I mean hotels are legit, they have never checked someone in that would be doing illegal things >_> *sarcasm*), I go. There are lots of people, about 80-100. Mainly kids with their parents. There’s a tall, dark haired guy asking for I.Ds and giving out registration forms. We go into the large meeting room and SAME people who registered us are there. They would be the judges too! (hmmmm) The main presenter (short, rude/blunt, blonde, white lady from France/Nigeria) Gia, says that the reason the same people who registered us will also be our audition judge is because we were the last group for the week and that the moment we stepped into the hotel we were being auditioned. The other two dark haired guys (who registered us) were in the room. They were both relatively young, not pass their 40s. Gia said one of the guys was a top model for Prada back in the day (his beer belly was forming nicely so it must have been waaay waay back in the day) and the other has a young son who is doing well in this business. Gia goes on and gives a presentation mainly about IMTA talent search and gets the crowd riled up about the possibilities of going to the IMTA convention in NYC in July. She said that we must go through them, i.e Casting, in order to get to IMTA. Stating that nowadays entertainers can’t just call an agency and get signed without first going through a casting company like theirs >_> (which I’ve research and found NOT to be true) or that it is hard/near impossible to do it on your own. She says the IMTA event is supposedly huge and key to getting an agent, blah blah blah. Anyways, people are getting excited and kids are getting excited and nervous about not to screwing up their lines. We line up based on our assigned numbers given at registration. The auditions would take place in that same room! Weird huh?!! There were 3 table, next to each other, for the 3 judges: Gia, the two other guys. We are told that if chosen for call backs tomorrow, we would be notified between 6pm- 3am because she says the hours of show business are unpredictable. And if chosen we should be prepared with our payments for which level we would like to register for. LEVEL 1 = $1995. LEVEL 2 (chance at IMTA competition) = $5996. LEVEL 3 (IMTA + US casting program acting and modeling) = $9995. I audition with Gia. It was very short, no longer than 90 seconds. She scribbles some stuff on my paper, gives me no hint of whether she likes my audition or not. That night, I get a text message from Gia around 9 pm (because I missed her call a few minutes back) saying that I made it for call backs tomorrow (Sunday). I am getting excited now, like this really could be the real thing, but I am worried because I don’t have all the money to give them should I be chosen (which, most likely, I would have as this is all a sales scheme). I do some research online to learn more about Casting and if this is really something I should invest my money in. Surprise, surprise, I can’t find anything on the company. A) because of the very general name “Casting” B) because they don’t exist. The IMTA website is real though, but if they are legit and actually help aspiring entertainers out, I don’t know! But lucky me, I stumble on this website about acting and modeling scams and read stories EXACTLY like mine, with the same rude, short blonde lady named Gia!!!! I am livid but happy that I caught this scam in time before I started asking family members to loan me money. On Sunday, the day of call back, I call Gia (without giving her my name) saying I can’t make it. NOT TODAY DEVIL!!

People, be careful of a company called CASTING (or whatever new name they snort out of their butts) and a short, blond, rude, lady named Gia! False prophets. All of them. You don’t have to pay thousand to get an agent and fulfill your dreams of becoming an entertainer/model. It’s a job- THEY PAY YOU!!!

There is a guy everyone needs to beware of, his name is Larry Herring. He is a bottom feeder in the acting industry. He trash talks every company in the industry including Barbizon, John Casablanca’s, John Robert Powers, 321 Shine, iPOP!, and several other companies just so he can sell his own acting classes and information from his “beware of scams” site that is actually it’s own scam. Regardless of what you think of the companies mentioned above you just needed to be warned that this guy is scum and a scam!

I would like to thank all of you for your stories. You all saved my family from what I’m sure would have been an expensive and frustrating experience. We also replied to a casting call broadcast on a radio station here in Reno Nevada, asking if we had a talented child interested in being on shows like shake it up and a few other Disney shows. I was thrilled and thought omg my little 5 year old would be amazing for that. I called the number, received the email for where to go, how to dress, number of family members allowed to attend and to arrive 15 mins early. We listened to their 45 minute Schpeel about the cute little kid that plays Flynn on shake it up how they got him there. They even went so far as to tell us all that in order to succeed in this industry God, family and grades were a must. We approached The lady behind one of the two desks they had set up and my little one did the best he could as he is pretty shy. Didn’t really count on a call back for the next day but thought they had so many nice things to say about how cute he was and that normal 5 year olds typically can’t remember a whole section of a book. We got called back, the whole family was extatic. Told her we would be there. Then started doing a bit of digging and found this blog. We did not go back and I have you all to thank for it. The company is now calling themselves NYLA talent featuring iPod. They want an arm and a leg for their packages and more money for their photo sessions. I hope this post helps others

Hey I just recently got a email from pro casting usa, saying that there’s a test shooting going. I have to pay 125 dollars for the prints in a city, and that I would be in a campaign for old navy. Now I’m just trying to make sure that pro casting usa is legit is all really. I don’t want to be in a scam as it is.

I recently got a long detailed email about an interest for me modeling for Bershka through an agency called Ace Model Management. They said I would be paid $7500 for 11 days, and would get the designer to send the clothing to me along with 500 to act as a retainer. I was literally going to fly out in 5 days… We looked online and couldn’t find the address on Google Earth. This is a scam right????

Yes! This sounds like the Nigerian scam which sends money up front, asks victims to cash the check, keep their “pay” and send them back the rest. It is 100% a talent scam. No REAL company pays people they have never met up front… EVER!!! The checks they send are fake and they hope that people will put it in the ATM so the fake is not spotted right away. Real casting directors and agents do not email people out of the blue and send them money.

Should I trust the ones on Instagram. When I got there it’s a building and on the phone they put me on hold, it went on and said the things they did and that when I get there is should be dress to impress and I should have a picture of myself only face. That they work whit people from new York and LA should I even go?

You should always be concerned when they give you a sales pitch and are trying to sell themselves to you. Real agents do not work that way, normally it is the talent who needs to sell themselves to the agent. Dress to impress? what is the audition for? You may want to ask for specifics.

Is Genesis Blessing LA a legitimate company? My daughter responded via email for a Samsung commercial, sent pics & a letter about herself. She received an email today (less than 5 days later) requesting a Skype audition this afternoon. I can’t find the company on Google, but do find the ad when I search on this site.

The casting notices are posted by third parties such as production companies and casting directors. For any casting notice, talent must ultimately decide how to proceed. If you have reservations about the audition, you may want to ask them for more information about the project, company, etc. Of course, if anyone asks for any money, you run the other way!

Hi, This popped up on my fb the other day, I figured it was a scam, but decided to check it out. It was a short registration form, I filled it out, 5he did not ask for any kind of payment. The audition is for today at the New York Hilton at 3pm. I already know if they ask for money it is a scam. They emailed me the appointment time and an application that needs to be filled out, I am to attach a photo and there were lines to learn. I have tried to find some more info, but can’t seem to find anything helpful. Could you please let me know what you think before I take my child out to this? Thanks!

They will not ask for money until they have sized you up and you have met with them several times (with your child) so that you feel committed. Again, this is not the way the industry works! They will ask you for money sometime down the line. Most of these schemes realize that they cannot just ask right up front or you will bolt out the door. They want you to first invest your time. This is not a legit audition for any project. If you do not believe me, ask them. Ask the question… “what show are you casting for specifically?” That is the one they cannot answer since there is no show. They will tell you it is for many shows and new talent or something along that line. Again, not how casting works. Casting directors do not make up roles or create roles for people! Casting directors are handed a script, specs, age range, etc. for the role they need talent for. There are a few castings for kids on this site. See those to see how very specific the requirements are. If you are still unsure, ask more questions… “what production company specifically are you working for” (remember, casting directors are paid by the production, NOT TALENT). Ask “what production specifically has this person cast?” and “what is the link to your IMDB credits page?” Casting directors for large production are in a union and franchised, ask them to show you their listing on the SAG site. REAL casting directors are proud of the shows they cast and should have no problem talking about it or answering specific questions (specific as in who did you personally cast in what and can I look it up on an industry site). The scammers are sales people with no connection to the industry… who most sold used cars in the past. They would have a hard time answering any questions about credentials.

These companies work on the assumption that most parents have no idea as to how the industry works. I get countless messages from kids who blame their parents for them losing their big break and not getting a Disney role. Those kids actually believed that for the right amount of money, they could be Disney stars and their parents blew it by not paying. If you do go, be careful because the sales people are commissioned and HARD, their pitch will put the guilt trip on the parent.

I don’t know if this is a scam. It is a movie being shot this summer called gravity four it seems real legit they don’t ask to pay for anything and it says they will pay for my trip to Los Angles if i get in it. I got it from a sight called (removed) is it a real scam or not?

I would be very skeptical because the industry does not work that way. Most indie films hire local talent and big budget productions go through well known agents. Nobody hires unknown actors from an emailed photo that may or may not be what they even look like, then offer to fly them cross country. There are many scams that work that way though. There is a twist on the Nigerian 419 scam which targets people wanting to act or model. They will post fake castings anywhere they can. They will then tell people they will pay for travel and send a fake cashier’s check asking talent to cash it, then send them money so they can pay for whatever through western union. They know that most people now bank at ATM’s and the person cashing the check will put it in the machine, the bank will then give the person credit towards the deposit and it will be days, until the bank returns the check as fake. Once the check is returned, the person who cashed it is responsible for giving the bank the money they fronted them on good faith. Many people fall for it and it’s not the banks fault for cashing the bad check, it’s the persons.

Many people get scammed because they so hope something is real that they dismiss their gut feeling. If you are asking if it’s fake, you probably know the answer already. If it’s too good to be true, it most likely is.

Two of my models have been approached now with what I believe is a scam. “Fabio” is looking to recruit lingerie models in NYC. He feels out the interest and then tells you to email someone in Milan to tell them you’re interested in more information.

100% sure this turns into a scam because the models he’s preying on have only a couple of shoots in their portfolio, and his profile is always empty.

Hi Erica. I recently allowed my daughter to go through one of those mall, “talent scout” auditions. They did a photo shoot and it was up to us if what type of package we wanted to purchase (yep Sucker here). They also video taped my daughter singing and walking the runway. The purpose was to be the “overall winner” who would win a one year professional modeling contract. We were told by the talent scout that they would be sending photos and a copy of the videos out to Florida talent agencies. We Thought is was a fun experience and didn’t think it would go further than that.

Yesterday, we received a package from Model and Talent Inc in Ft. Lauderdale. They are offering my daughter a one year “amateur” contract. No up front fees. They say once they receive the signed contract, she (my daughter is 12) will have access to an amateur casting board to see what castings/auditions are happening in Florida. If she accepts the contract, they require her to submit to them 20 professional casting cards & 20 B&W Resume cards. They have recommended a printer but it is not a requirement. They have sent samples of what they expect in case we chose to have printed elsewhere.

According to the is contract, which is not very formal but basic, anything booked through the casting board and pays less than $500 is not subject to any agency fees. They receive 20% for Any professional booking made through the agency that is over $700. Also, according to the talent scout, she will receive 5% of the agency’s 20 on any professional booking. Finally, for any prof booking, the contract is extended for 3 months.

I am torn on this. My RED flag warning is up for a number of reasons. 1-the website of the talent scout and one of the modeling contract handbook both have the same cover photo. 2-I have read a number of comments in this article about companies called Model and Talent being scams. However, if we sign, it is not an exclusive contract so can’t we also explore other avenues in the meantime? I see no complaints with the FL BBB about this agency. I also checked the FL dept of Business Rgulation and see they have a business license since 2012 with no complaints.

There are definitely many red flags here. I have never heard of them and looks like their website was registered in 2014. There is close to nothing about them and one of those reasons is the very vague business name. There are dozens of companies whose names are something followed by models and talent. If you actually check out their site, you will notice that their address is that of a law office building with many floors. They do not have a suite number, which is very suspicious as you need a suite number to find an office or mail anything. Their site has a link to see their models and talent. It is behind a password box which you can type anything into for access. The pictures of their models have no identifying information. Model agencies will list the models name, age, height, measurements, shoe size, clothing size, etc. So they are not expecting to book these people if they even exist. One of the images is actually named “Beauty_scarves” another called “cute_boy”… huh? descriptive names are used in stock photos you buy, not models you book. A lookup of the phone number listed comes back to a different address and a company called Audition America… which has many reviews, most not too good.

I did not find them in the BBB, but if they are listed there, it’s quite sad since they don’t even seem to be a real company in Florida… as per the State Department. After this I stopped looking… I didn’t bother checking the licenced agents database as I am pretty sure I will not find it listed.

So yeah, proceed with caution. The name related to the phone number is a talent convention thing.

As for access to a job board, you do not need an agent to look at online casting boards, No agent works this way. They make money by finding their talent work. They do not sit around hoping their talent finds their own work and pays them just because.

I was approached by someone who asked for my email and name. He took a shot of me and I got an email saying I need to respond by the next day. The purpose is to get a model for Samsung print ad. I haven’t been able to spot conclusive evidence but based on what little I know and googling, It seems like a scam to me, but what do you think?

Is Gage Models & talent agency from Knoxville, TN a scam ? I went there January 10, 2016, Sunday.
I had an appointment at 5:30 pm, there were about 50 or more or less in the same place as myself, sign up forms, and then we all went into a big room, the women spoke to us, gave us info, and then we got a paper asking why we were interested in Gage models& talent. Then we all waited while we were called up to the model and walk with music going down the strip back and forth. Then they filmed us on camera speaking (acting) what we wrote down on paper about why we were interested. They gave me a booklet in acting classes which I looked at, $1,999 dollars is the cost. The office woman told me I was a (b). It means WE SEE GREAT POTENTIAL AND WANT TO DEVELOP A MARKETABLE LOOK FOR MODELING AND ACTING. AS A RESULT, YOU MAY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, PREPARATION, SELF-CONFIDENCE, OR TEACHING SKILLS PRIOR TO LISTING WITH THE AGENCY. (YOU INVEST IN YOURSELF AND WE WILL THEN INVEST IN YOU.) DEVELOPMENT MAY BE REQUIRED IN AREAS SUCH AS: ATTITUDE AND PERSONALITY, POISE AND POSTURE, RUNWAY TECHNIQUES, PHOTO-MOVEMENT, ON CAMERA AUDITIONING TECHNIQUES,OVERALL IMAGE UPDATE. (UPON COMPLETION OF THE NECESSARY WORKSHOPS, YOU WILL RECEIVE A HEADSHOT AND HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIGN WITH GAGE. SCAM OR LEGIT?

I am not sure why you think they are a scam. They seem to specialize in athletes and fitness models. They are in Los Angeles, are licensed and seem to be part of the ATA (Association of Talent Agents). Modeling rarely requires experience since it is based on looks, so most modeling agencies will not require experience in modeling. They do specialize in athletics and their submission form does inquire about athletic experience. Not sure if that is what you meant.

I realize that no one has been on this thread for some months now, but I’m hoping that if this pops up in anyone’s inbox, I can get a little guidance. I am friends with a photographer whose daughter started modeling last year (age 6). She encouraged me to take my daughter to the same modeling coach for a headshot session she was shooting. Since I am friends with her and wanted current photos anyway, we went along. We paid the HMU person there and also the photographer (my friend), got some great editorial-type shots as well as headshots and my daughter (age 8) had an absolute blast. The coach was in contact with us soon after and we signed up for one month of classes (the coach did not push these, they were by our choice) which my daughter did enjoy. The coach set up a meeting and I was fed the “I really think she has IT” speech. This was expected and I was totally prepared for it being a marketing tactic for the coach (how many others have heard this?!). My daughter, ever the skeptic, was not easily sold (thank goodness). We posted some photos from the shoot on a child model FB page and was contacted by a designer asking if we would like to walk in a show in Paris in March of next year. Oh…we have to pay $1200 to cover HMU, attire, photos, press, etc., but get to keep the attire. I researched the show (seems small), and the company (meh) but I cannot find anything anywhere about whether or not these pay-to-play events are legit! Please help! I’m not opposed to traveling to Paris, but then also having to pay to walk? Hmmm…. I asked the coach for advice, and she was so excited (who isn’t excited to have their marketing tactic backed up) and said we should definitely do it. Side note: the coach is all about some kiddy pageants and kid model competitions. Part of me feels like we should totally do it, even if we do have to pay–I mean, come on…and excuse to go to Paris? Count me in! But then the other part says–Wait just a minute. If my child is working, shouldn’t she be paid? Sure, it would be a fun experience, but I love my job–it’s fun–but I still expect to be paid. So I guess my overall question is this: Do we go to Paris just to say she walked in a show in Paris and get the photos (they are ‘included’ in the fee) to build her portfolio and resume or do we take a step back and only accept paying gigs? This is just a hobby at this point (hobby being defined as something one spends money to do, not something one is paid to do), so it might be fun–expensive, sure–but fun. Thoughts?

Seems very expensive for HMU and also sounds risky. There is no guarantee that if you do this they will not tack on additional fees…. once in Paris. Once there, if they ask for more money, what is one to do? Eat the travel costs and money already paid, breaking the kids heart? I know for a fact that Nigerian scammers troll FB profiles for victims. Is the $1200 paid upfront or on-site? If up front, you risk getting there and finding nothing. If your child just wants to have some fun, there are plenty of local pay to play events as well as plenty of volunteer events for charities and such where they require ticket sales.

And yes, if it is a legitimate modeling job, your child should be getting paid. For the most part, strangers contacting anyone through a profile on the internet is usually a scam. Casting directors and folks that book legit shows do not troll internet profiles to find talent. Get your child an agent.

An event overseas is way to sketchy. If you pay to play at an event here and the event never happens after the payment, you have some recourse. In another country you have none. If you decide to do it, make sure you call the actual event to find out what the deal is. There are countless scammers that pretend to be someone else. There are many stories about folks paying money to be cast in something and after paying, they contact the REAL casting directors who tells them someone has been impersonating them. Asking talent to pay for HMU only, is a huge red flag. The scammers know that most people understand that if they ask for payment to be represented, most people will think “scam.” since that practice is illegal in many states. Tell them you will hire your own Hair and makeup people and see what they say. If they say, no way, ask more questions. Ask for references, ask for the name of this very expensive hair stylist. Say you would like call them directly and see samples of their work. If you are paying $1200 to do your child’s hair and makeup, you should have references and photos of their work. If they can’t provide any info… it’s a scam. Professionals are proud of their work and should have a portfolio of their work to send clients as well as references. If this was HMU for your wedding, would you hire anyone without seeing what they can do?

If all you want is to say your child walked a runway, you can find some local events. As for a portfolio, kids are not expected to have huge portfolios. An 8 year old grows quickly, those images would be useless very soon and you have no guarantee they will even be any good, a runway is not a studio with perfect lighting. When your child is 10, no one wants to see pics at age 8, it’s irrelevant. A pay to play event that no one has ever heard of probably will not carry much weight on a resume anyway.

I have a few friends that are what you would call “Hollywood moms.” The kids got lots of paid work, not because they had a huge, professional portfolio, but because the parents were on a mission. They spent all day calling agents, sending out headshots, making appointments. Getting work for the kids was their full time job.

Yesterday I went to an interview with a modelling company called The Casting City in Central London. Although they didn’t make any outlandish promises or claim I was “perfect” or anything, they told me I need a professional portfolio. That’s AFTER I showed them my pictures on Casting Call Pro & Star Now.
I paid £90 deposit to secure a photo shoot and the balance of £300 is to be paid on the day (this Saturday). It all felt really rushed, and they didn’t give me time to read the contract. Is The Casting City legit?

I don’t know what your expectations are. It all depends on what you think they will do for you. Keep in mind it is a charm school / modeling school. They charge parents money for lessons. If you are looking for lessons, that is what you will most likely get. Barbizon is not a casting director or production company. Their website is quite clear on what they offer, lessons is posture, poise, nutrition, walking, etc.

I got a call Monday for a interview for barbrazion for my daughter who filled out a card at the mall for acting or modeling. The lady said her name and gave a number to call back if I needed to cancel. The lady said she is coming from florida and to meet at the Hilton in Tennessee should I go or is this a scam?

Not sure what you are asking, Barbizon is a school. As a rule, agents and casting directors do not approach people at a mall, salespeople do. If you want to buy what they are selling then no. They are not free though. Depends on what your expectations are.

I got a call on monday asking for my daughter to come to the hilton in my area for a interview for barbrazion. my daughter had filled out a card at the mall saying she was interested in modeling and acting. They wanted us to come in on Saturday should I go or is this a scam. The name and the number the women called from is the same number she gave to call and cancel but she was coming from Miami to Tennessee. Should I worry.

Pretty sure I just experienced a scam. Today was my third time going in to “Hollywood Productions” or their other name “Contact Casting” for yet another callback audition. The address of this place is 1335 La Brea, Los Angeles (right near Hollywood and Highland). They found me through Explore Talent. I was confused as to why they asked me to come back a third time, and today I saw yet ANOTHER different director for “supposedly” the same energy drink commercial. However after I said my lines, he said he wanted to give me a different script? Not even related to an energy drink commercial. If this was a REAL and professional performance, then why did I see a different “casting director” every time I came into audition? And if they knew you were/ were not the person for the role wouldn’t they have known by the second audition? I even got suspicious and asked who the casting director was of this so-called commercial but was told that they could not give me that information. YEAH, OKAY. Overall, there have been just too many red flags about this place…another being that there were always different people in the waiting room (of all ages and backgrounds…apparently all auditioning for the “SAME” role), not one person did I recognize from my previous audition. The sad part about all this is that they’re giving false hope to people that truly want to have a start in the entertainment world- even kids who come with their parents!

Hi, i want to know if “New faces Talent agency” is a scam I can’t find any single scam about them on google. They have a website and there auditions held at a hotel. They have a Facebook page as well but not much information is given.
Pleaseee reply to this……..

when I google them I get lots of reviews, here is one http://www.consumeraffairs.com/modeling/new_faces.html. I don’t know if this is the same place since there are a few in different places called that. The easiest way to find out is to ask if they are casting directors and what project(specifically), are the auditions for, what is the rate talent will be paid, etc. If they are agents, get the license information. Scams can’t give you details about specific jobs since no real job exists. Agents have offices, they do not rent out banquet rooms.

I googled them and seems they are a training program of somekind, but not an agency. Whether something is a scam depends on what you are expecting to get. If you are looking for modeling classes or charm school, I guess that is what they provide. However, they are not a modeling agency. If they promise work… I would be suspicious. Best bet is to always Google the company name + the word reviews, scam or legit. That will bring up consumer reviews, complaints and other information.

I have an audition from Next Auditions on April 1st. So far they say there is no upfront payment to audition. I noticed one error in the script, where they accidentally added a “T” to the word, however, the word was said three times and the last time it was misspelled. The application asks for address which I am concerned about. It asks me about my parents occupations and I don’t know why. They have a spot for professional notes and it includes if I got a callback or not. I need to bring one photo with me and it is for modeling and acting. You can also audition for dancing and singing but, since I can’t do any of those, I am not trying out for those. I was tagged in a post on Facebook by a friend of mine. Some of these scams that I have read haven’t been used for this audition. No payment first, no “First 200 callers” or anything. When I tried saving the application it wanted to immediately save it as “aplication” instead of “application.” For the most part, grammar seems great. I haven’t had to talk to anybody yet, but it gave me my audition date without me even selecting which one was most convenient. It also asks what I am wanting with this audition and lists a variety of things like “Representation by agent” “travel” etc which makes me think that they will tell me what I want to hear and offer me those things.

Can anybody give me advice before Wednesday, April 1st? It would be greatly appreciated.

Their website is geared towards kids trying to get on Disney. Filled with Disney show logos and they travel city to city. Disney has made numerous statements that they are not affiliated with any of these companies, see http://disneychannel.disney.com/open-call. Most of these companies do not tell you about payment until they have hooked you in a sales meeting because nobody would attend if they came out and said payment required.

please, I’m asking about if there are a lot of agencies online that require you just to create a portfolio. What’s your opinion about this? also are there online casting agencies that require me to fill out my travel and passport data? When I try to leave this blank, the application didn’t submit. The passport details are a must to complete the application. I’m afraid, what’s your opinion? Whats your opinion about international casting calls that require new faces for instance. I apply for auditions in another country? please recommend a legal online international casting agent? Can you do auditions online?

US companies can not cast people that are not US citizens / legal residents. In the US, we have employment laws (many other countries do as well). You must have a US social security number or come here on a work visa which are difficult to get and take lots of time. No legit casting director will waste time doing international online auditions knowing that the person may not be able to just fly here to work or even be able to due to visa restrictions. There is no such animal as a “legal online international casting agency”, it’s just not how it works and makes no sense monetarily since flying to another country would cost more than you would be paid.

I would not recommend giving out any sensitive info on a web form and I have never heard of anyone asking for your passport information on an online form. You have no idea who put up the form and what they will do with the info. The internet is anonymous in nature. Anyone can put up a website. Scammers put up fake banking sites, fake paypal, fake shopping sites, fake everything… including castings, all in an effort to get enough info to hack your accounts, steal identities, etc.

Auditions for any principal roles are done in person. The word “new faces” for anything other than extras is a huge red flag. Extras casting is by photo submissions but local only… by local I mean within an hours drive.

I had a really horrible thing happen to me. I was contacted by someone who claimed to be one of the owners of a modeling management agency in Milan. I researched the name, very fantastic reputation and known all over Europe as a top model manager. I researched the agency, as they had provided a link, and it all checked out. They are ranked as one of the top agencies in the world. The link was real and when I called they were real. They will clearly state the only people that will be contacting you from the agency will be one of the three given names, one of which he claimed to be. All checked out. Looked the people up and all are real. I emailed the individual back and he said ALL the right things. He even emailed me a contract from THAT AGENCY and wanted me to have it looked over by my attorney, etc… He was going to fly me there all expenses paid. He asked to have a Skype interview, which I also checked out and it does happen being that they are from another country. So a meeting was scheduled. The Skype interview took place, everything appeared to be professional and on the up and up. He told me that he would email some details and that we would again Skype the next day. The information he sent me was flight information and such…including what types of brands in Milan I was going to shoot for so I could also check them out.

They checked out too, one of the major brands was for lingerie. So the next Skype meeting starts to take place. Suddenly there is something wrong with his microphone on his computer, then he proceeds to ask me if I could take off my clothing so he can gauge how I look in my lingerie. Making some sense in my mind I say…ok….so what, its just bra and thong. So he has me stand back and do a circle, walk etc. Then he says…. perfect, you are perfect. Then suddenly his light goes out, so he is sitting in the dark and I cant see him. Now I’m a little weirded out. He says that he can still see me so its ok. He starts to says there is one last thing I need to do before I fly over there. He wants me to strip and pleasure myself so he can see my face and how I react.

Now I’m completely freaked out and tell him NO. He proceeds to tell me that it is very common in Milan to have models do this. I completely freak out and tell him that we do not do business like this in the USA. So he concludes the Skype interview and tells me to check my email for further information. Well…….I receive an email that basically tells me that I need to complete this last item before he will sign me. I politely refuse and he pressures me HARD. Email after email. More and more pressure. I start to get mad and tell him that I will let him know the next day. I tell my parents who are outraged with this man, as they too researched the crap out of all his information. My Mom decides to have me respond to him via email saying that I will call him at his place of business in the morning to discuss. Immediately he says that he is not at his place of business, that he is in Berlin signing a couple of models. Makes sense, but my Mom decided to call his office anyway. When she asked if the person he said he was, was in the office the receptionist said “yes”. BIG ALARMS GO OFF!

So my Mom tells her what had happened. The receptionist says…. email all this information immediately. So we do. Not long after that the REAL person (owner of the agency) sends and email and is very apologetic. He goes on to say that many people impersonate him for horrible things. He asks that we send him all the information we have on this person so he can do something about it. We send him everything with a huge thank you. BUT………. this person continues to send me emails asking what time we can Skype and finish the interview process.

so I compose an email stating that we have spoken to the REAL person that he is a complete fake and that we are going to report him. He sends me email after email threatening me saying he knows where I live, then he attaches a ton of pictures that he took of me in my bra and thong threatening to post them everywhere, etc….. I was horrified. Thank heaven my parents took control and have many connections with the US Govt including Interpol. We had to delete the Skype account, block him in email, block him everywhere. Before everything was completely blocked he was sending me a Whatsapp calling me horrible names and saying he is going to ruin me, etc…etc.

I feel comfortable now being that my parents took control, but it was HORRIBLE. Some scams are so elaborate that it is difficult to determine if they are scams. My piece of advice for any model being contacted, verify the agency is real, then verify the person is who they say they are. A simple phone call to the verified agency asking to speak to the person will prove A LOT. Be very careful, these people are clever and cunning. Never believe anything unless you verify EVERYTHING.

I’ve received two of these scam auditions, but, I’ve been around long enough, in age, to know when something sounds like a LIE!
My question is, why isn’t there an avenue for Legal Action, against these CROOKS? It appears to me that, the INDUSTRY, in 2015, is way behind the curve, in developing a Legal Avenue, for holding these Bastards Accountable, in a Court of Law! Why Isn’t The Innocent Being Protected? That’s My Damn Question!

It is not illegal to sell things to people. Lots of salespeople use high pressure sales tactics, promise things they really can’t do and say whatever it takes to earn their commission. This is no different. This industry is actually above the curve with many states passing laws to protect consumers against predatory sales tactics. They are just using the word audition to entice people. If you read any of the contracts, in fine print, they will mention that they are NOT agents, not affiliated with any agencies and cannot get you work. They will also state that you are buying a service such as conventions, extremely expensive classes, a photo shoot, etc. The sales people just use high pressure tactics to get people to sign before reading it all through, usually by saying they are in a hurry, leaving on a plane to Hollywood in an hour, etc. It is difficult to bring legal action against them when people sign the contract acknowledging they know what they are doing. But, courts have taken action when enough people complain. These companies also know that most people will not complain because they are embarrassed, finally read the contract and realize they made a mistake.

What about SMASH talent? I have had to pay to go to a showcase before but they are sending me to classes to prepare. I have been scammed before and would like it not to happen again. Please tell me if this is a scam. *I did not pay to audition*

Do you know anything about this Agency. I can see they were licensed in 2012 formerly known as Visions Entertainment. I can’t find any reviews good or bad. They seem ok but I see red flags. They showed us a portfolio of one of their clients who did commercials for Embassy Suites, Jello, and have some bookings this december. All commercials. He is Greyson Foster. Maybe they can book some commercials but hook everyone in for the training fees. 20 weeks is around 1500. We are scheduled to go there today and I am curious. I don’t know what to think. I don’t have good or bad. Just nervous to make a mistake. They supposedly had a Boot Camp with MTV and some Agent there but I can’t see proof they attended. It was called Actors Boot Camp 2014 in Las Vegas. Please let me know asap

The main job of a talent agent is to book work for actors which they take a commission from. Any company whose main focus is training, workshops, portfolios is NOT making money from commissions on jobs, they make money from charging the talent for services. Good agents are selective because they ONLY make money if YOU make money, not from stuff they sell you on. The test would be if they are still willing to find you work and send you on auditions if you DO NOT take or pay for the classes, workshops, etc. Casting directors / agents that do workshops are getting paid to attend. In California, there is a law against such practices, but I don’t think Nevada has one. If they are selling Hollywood, please note the part of the law below that prohibits mixing workshops with casting for CA based agents / casting directors….

Casting directors cannot accept headshots and resumes from actors at a workshop (or seminar, class, etc.). Even if part of the class involves having the casting directors review and offer feedback on actors’ resumes, the resumes must be returned to the actors by the end of the class.

Thank you for your information. It is very hard to figure out since there is nothing good or bad and they do have a license in Nevada and nice offices. Which could be paid by their classes. They seem to have kids doing commericals but that could be very far and few. I would like to get training for my daughter but am trying to figure out how to do it. I am not paying them anything tonight and will see how they react. If it is for training they would be fine with waiting some time. If not then that says a lot also…

Well like I thought. They didn’t lie, and don’t promise jobs just training and they will get you opportunities in front of casting directors that come to town etc. You need to pay right away. Red Flag. There are some real nice kids taking classes there, and I am sure they get some opportunities since I saw at least 2 that were doing commercials. But how many students do they have and how many get commercials Etc. There has to be a better way for training. I can’t find and derogatory information on them, however, one of the partners worked with John Robert Powers who appears to be a huge fraud and the same tactics are being used at this agency. Why hasn’t anyone spoken up?

Maybe you can contact the casting directors they are trying to hook you up with and get their take on it… as to what they will be there to do, as well as research them. Many casting directors do workshops where I am in L.A. Those classes are not thousands of dollars though and the CD’s are there to speak, not cast normally. There are lots of classes offered at most community colleges, theaters and by many CD’s for a reasonable price as well. Those are always called what they are… classes, workshops, etc. and never an audition. You don’t audition for those, just pay a fee and attend. Companies that use the word “audition” to entice people into taking classes are operating in the gray and use the word audition as a “bait and switch” sales tactic.

Never heard of them but would watch out for anyone who promises to “get you discovered” or the like. Accredited talent agents do not use that language… ever.

Casting directors hold auditions for specific projects and roles, not for ‘undiscovered talent’, in California, talent agents need to be licensed, so when in doubt, ask for licence information and check it against the States database of licensed talent agents.

I have received email from Erica Arvold casting to signup with AgencyProTalent.com. They said for $9.95 per month I would instantly get all the things that make clients stop and check me out. That which is, displayed below:
* Display up to 20 photos and your full resume.
* Be seen first through instant online submissions.
* Get a FREE website at AgencyProTalent.com to support your personal marketing efforts.
* Track your online submissions and personal website hits.
I basically would like to know if this site is legitimate, I search the the site and found no negative information. Is it worth a try?

I would like to just make everyone aware of our recent experience with a “so-called” talent agency that has proved to be a scam. First things first, both of my sons, who of course, I think are the most talented, beautiful and amazing kids are 6 and 8 years old.

Recently a friend contacted me and told me about an audition that she heard about on the radio out of Kansas City. She said that is was a chance to audition for shows on the Disney Channel. I was immediately excited and thought, wow, this could be our chance to stardom!!! Ok, so anyway, she had already called the number and gotten her daughter an audition and wanted me to call and get my boys an audition, too. I called the number and they wanted simple information, like my name, the kids’ names, their birthdays and my email address.

I gave them this information and, BAM, they got an audition! The lady on the phone said this was only open to 200 kids and we were one of the first callers! WOW, I thought, this is going to be awesome. My first mistake was then asking my boys if they would be interested in auditioning. They of course were immediately excited and, being 8 and 6 years old, thought this was an instant ticket to be on a show like, Jessie, Lab Rats, etc. I explained that they have to audition first and then we’ll see where that goes.

This “agency”, then emailed me a very generic email stating our date and time for the audition, place and a 3 line script that they needed to practice and know by heart at audition time. My first impression of this “agency” was that the email was very generic. There was no contact information, no address or phone number, NOTHING about the company. Red flags were going off like crazy, but I just thought, maybe it is a private agency that only seeks talent first and then gives you all their info if they become interested in you. Ok, so anyway, all week long, my boys practiced to their little hearts content their lines. I mean they MASTERED these lines! I went out and bought new outfits, because the email said to have your child dress in upscale casual clothing.

So, the day of the audition comes and we all get up early and head to Kansas City. The audition was going to be held at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel (by the airport). I later figured these con-artists just picked this place because it was convenient for them to hop off the plane from their scamming city to city and go across the street to a hotel with an open ballroom. Now, they told me when I made the audition appointment to be there at 11:30 am, my friend and her daughter had their audition at 9:00 am, so I thought we would have to wait our turn. When we went inside the hotel, we got in the line and stopped at a table, they did not asked who I was, just had me put my child’s name on the sign in paper, sign my name and put his age. Then you were directed to a woman who was taking a group picture of you and your child with her iPad. This woman then “checked” my driver’s license.

I have absolutely no idea what the hell she was “checking”. I mean, how did she know I was these kids’ mom? I could have been anyone, she didn’t ask me for my audition time or in that matter if I even had an appointment. We were then led into the ball room where all kids and parents were being seated and started filling out a 1 page “application” for your child. They gave us a booklet, it was good quality, had several pages, but it did not really validate who this company was, where they are located, etc. I couldn’t help but scurry to fill out the application. This application asked things like child’s name, parent’s names, our phone numbers, address, height, weight, eye color, hair color, child’s interests, hobbies, how we heard about the audition, parent’s occupations, how committed we are, child’s talents and why we think our child is “the one”.

When the room was full, the doors were closed and then it felt like a seminar was starting. The director, who had a very thick European accent, stood up and started telling us about how the next hour would go. She even said there was a real celebrity who flew in for this event that would be there! Talk about sucking your kids right in, my kids were thinking, wow, this is so exciting, we are going to get famous and get on TV! They introduced the “scouts” who would be auditioning your child. These “scouts” were the same ones who checked us in, took our picture and were walking around the room before they got started.

This was a large room with probably 12 rows of chairs. There were probably 125 kids in the room along with parents. They then start to tell us about the process, that each child will only get about 3 minutes with the scout to show them what they got. They introduced the “scouts” who were very dressed up. These people looked the part. They looked like they were models and or actors themselves. Who knows if they were even legit or not, this is just what they were up there telling us. Anyway, they introduced the “celebrity”. It was a guy who supposedly played the red power ranger on Nickelodeon. I had no idea who this guy was, he was a pretty boy, he talked about his acting career and how he “made it to the top”. They then went over some skits with the audience to show them how the audition was going to go. Then it was time to audition. We were broken up into groups based on a number on our application. We actually were third in line. When we got to the table, he took our application, asked for his picture and asked my son about his interests and hobbies and then asked him to say his lines.

He flawlessly performed, I of course thought he did great and thought he deserved a ticket straight to Hollywood. The “scout” then asked if we were serious about pursuing this and if we had a “flexible” schedule to accommodate my son if he was chosen. Then the audition was over. We were of course excited, kids were pumped up and all the false hope started again. They told us that we would get a text message that evening if he made the cut. They told us only 5% of the kids auditioned would get a call back. Later that evening, we got the text! I was excited at first and then my husband and his friends were like what’s the catch? The catch was, you had to come up with a financial plan and had to be able to “secure” this at the second audition which followed the next day. The prices in their booklet were outrageous. The cheapest one was $1,900. The most expensive package was $7,900. These prices did not guarantee anything except “access” to more auditions and jobs. What a rip off. It was then confirmed in my mind this was a rip-off scam. My friend, who went with us that morning, also got the magical text saying her daughter had been picked for a call-back. That confirmed it even more that this was bogus. I mean what are the chances that both of our kids were part of the 5% that they were supposedly calling back. I just want to make everyone out there aware that this, in fact, is a SCAM!!! The biggest red flag for me was that I couldn’t find anything about this agency on the internet. Their name was so generic, “Model and Talent”, that when you google them, their particular company does not come up but every business in the world that contains the words, model and talent does. I then found a blog where this company changed their name recently from “Casting Hub” to “Model and Talent”. So needless to say, we are staying undiscovered and fortunate we didn’t get reeled into this any further.

Please beware that most of these scams have these seminar like events in hotels. They recruit via the radio or newspaper and lead you to believe that your child is the “chosen” one. BEWARE!!! This made me want to go down there and stand in front of the hotel lobby on the second day and tell these parents who thought their child was headed to stardom, the truth. I hope this helps you for any questions you may have if you get jipped into one of these ads. Remember, if it’s too good to be true, then IT IS!

I recently responded to an ad, it was very specific about what they were looking for. They first asked for 4 photos, a cover letter, resume, and in the cover letter there has to be a statement that I was comfortable with an NR-17 or R rating. They were very descriptive in the ad, and I was one of the people who received a response. They put off auditions for 2 weeks due to a death on the staff, but have decided to continue. They asked for one more photo (in a two piece outfit), and then sent me a slide to record an audition and post to youtube. They saw the name of my college (an Ivy) and said for that reason, even if I am not chosen to act, they have a producer trainee position available that they would discuss with me at the in person interview if I made it that far. I did all of this, and it seemed legit, but here is what has me off guard. With the exception of the first e-mail, I don’t have any contact info on them. I have an email address that goes to a craigslist ad, and only after I submitted my audition tape did I receive thier address. I don’t have anyone’s name, or phone number, nor do I know the name of this ‘agency’. The thing that most has me concerned is that I finished my audition tape late at night, submitted it at 11:40pm, and received a response with the location of the in person interview about 15 minutes later. What kind of company has employees doing this at midnight? And if it is a legit company, would they really function this way? I’ve looked up the address they gave me and I know is that its in an office building, but I can’t find any company name in the suite that they are in. I’m tempted to ask for more info (ie a company name, contact number, something). After all of the steps I had to take to get to this point, I’m feeling very confused at thier lack of information. I have less than a week before the interview, any advice would be greatly appreciated! (Oh, and I am planning to bring a male, very muscular friend of mine just in case).

Sounds really really wrong. There is zero reason to not give out company or contact info. The producer thing, or asking if you would like to be one, makes it very suspicious since producers often time oversee budgets and find funding for productions. No, this seems far from legit and personally seems like they are trying to gain your confidence through all the correspondence. Not a single legit company would ever withhold their identity unless they were hiding something for sure.

On a side note… the rated R reference is completely off the wall. No one would even think about mentioning that and projects don’t get rated before they are produced. It sounds like it may be a Nigerian confidence scam where they actually have no idea what they are taking about but are trying real hard to sound like they do. Uhh, be really careful, if you decide to move forward, go back through their correspondence to see if the grammar and language sounds like a native English speaker wrote it. And, if you even have to wonder, its probably wrong. No harm in asking for references, projects they have done in the past, etc.

I have been cast for a reality show. The producer told us we would have to sell tickets for a benefit dinner. There is 2 concerts scheduled as benefit concerts to help out with the production cost. There is a actor who has played in some movies backing this up and makes appearances at the office. Is this common?

It’s common for music groups and comics, never heard of that for reality TV since shows like to get the funding before moving forward with casting. Not sure if that’s a scam, just sounds like a production in need of money to move forward and trying some crowd funding techniques.

Hello, I was wondering if its possible that there are scam casting calls on this website? Has anyone ever been scammed from this site alone? If all are legit that would put my conscious at ease before i send $360 to a traveling agent I’ve never met before.

While we try to be as thorough as possible with the listings, they are posted by various production companies and 3rd parties. No site can ever guarantee a listing due to the anonymous nature of the internet. If anyone asks for money, EVER, it is a 100% scam. A real production company would never send a check to some stranger, ask them to cash it and forward money to them. They DO NOT ask for travel agent fees, etc.

If anyone asks for money to cover YOUR travel costs, it is NOT legit. Do not send them money, if you do, you will never hear from them again. Scammers who ask for money to be sent are not in the US, so no, you will never be able to sue them and you would never be able to even find out their real names to even try.

It is hard to catch scammers because they lie. I don’t believe there is any way to find out who they are and most likely they are not even in the US. That notice was posted on many casting sites including the ones people need to pay for. I don’t believe there is anything that can be done about it. Unfortunately, it happens and everyone needs to be aware of it and never, ever send a stranger money for any reason. Gary Zudeborg had nothing to do with it, they simply created an email account in his name.

A company calling themselves Model and Talent is having auditions at the Hyatt in Boston this weekend. Scam. They took my licence snd signature as a security measure…..great. they called my child back despite fumbling lines. They had Dan Benson, zeke from Wizards of Waverly place hyping thier enterprise. Disney and all that. I’ve founded other scam reports using him and his name as a front man. Hyatt Boston August 23, 2014 and August 24, 2014. Thier literature has nothing as far as names and contact info beyond a now dead email address at auditions@modelandtalent.tv. sorry I went. Off to lockup my credit report!

I just got scammed by the same company yesterday here at the Mariott in Ottawa, Canada. Here they used the ugly nanny from the show Jessie, Jennifer Veal, for their big hype. It wasn’t until I got home, read their pamphlet, and started to put 2 and 2 together and saw the scam. At that point I predicted to my daughter and her mother that we would make the “call list” and be asked to come back today, Sunday, to a “2nd audition”. This would be followed by financial commitment, between $2000-8000 (that is, if my daughter succeeds in the second audition, which I am sure that everyone does). This is pathetic for the kids, fortunately my daughter took it quite well. Once again, the company is called Model and Talent and you cannot find them on the Internet, only complaints about the scam. The URL is ModelandTalent.tv and what I found out after is that “tv” stands for: ” It’s technically from the country of Tuvalu. However some guy paid the country a flat fee (of somewhere between $15 to $20 Million or so) to have exclusive rights to market it and sell domains with the .tv extension. He thought it would be a good idea since .tv can be construed as an abbreviation for “television”.” SCAM, please beware.

Anyone ever heard of Smash Talent? I want to know if they are legit. They “chose” my daughter to be in their “Launch Showcase” in Chicago which will introduce her to 70+ agents. Costs start at $1995 up to $3945.

Sounds like a convention. Not sure what you mean by legit. Sounds like they want you to pay for a service. If you are asking if they are an agency, I would doubt they are since agencies are not allowed to charge upfront fees for representation. There are companies that sell conventions and talent shows. You can usually just google those, use “review” after company name to see what others who attended thought of the service.

Does anyone know if Explore Talent in itself is scam, or just some of the so called producers casting directors are? they have an address in Las Vegas which of course I was just there and I am NOT allowed to go check the place out come on my assumption is it is a call center.
And if you call then you most likely will be routed to the Philippines.

I got a hit for my child from new casting producer from email michaels2casting@gmail for commercials, pilots, movie and modeling ( first red flag should have been he was casting for so many different types of cast not just a movie or a commercial).

Once I searched more by cross checking the casting director, I FINALLY found producer name. Turned out very below B rated commercial in Canada( I cannot even describe how low budget this way, it was a commercial on a cereal but more like the old kid showed the line and the dot) 1st phase turns out screening..( which was it couple hundred person cattle call although we were told that she had been pre-screened and selected) everyone auditioned went through.

I was told she would be perfect for commercials, my daughter who did not even say one word they looked at her and said modeling and that was it. I could not ask any questions.. willing to do very low budget even know wanting to get her three points with SAG, we continue.

Everyone that showed up for the next training, also went through, but I know there’s less people because most people saw the red flags we’re having a blast in Hollywood so I figured what the heck? No money. No harm, she’s getting her feet wet although it was for modeling she still is having to memorize Scripts. something I just noticed this last visit which is a separate question to you is this is a separate ways of HOOK LINE sinker..

When we went into the office this time it was filled with 6 other individuals usually it is just one three of which I recognize from cattle call. I call them our on it. They said they got hired in the office ( yet they are helping conduct interview) they asked young lady if she got the part, she said yes for the candy commercial, but she stuttered her way through that I asked if I could please see it because everyone was getting the part to the candy commercial..they did not know how to handle my questions which were quite correct, is that a separate form of skin having the people that are scamming us in line or did they just actually truly get hired?

Should we be able to ask them at any point at an audition, to view something that they have filmed or made? So that’s a two part question one is Explore Talent are they legit? Not all of the clients but go through them? Thank you for any help

Explore Talent is not an agency, they are a site that syndicates casting information from all over the internet. They have no way to tell if the casting is real or a scam. They do NO hiring for any projects and basically charge a monthly fee to see the contact info for the casting calls they find. The office is a call center with sales people, not, casting directors or agents.

They sell website subscriptions and others mentioned their sales people may be aggressive in selling those subscriptions.

Their website tells you to watch out for scams because they may be listing those. This sounds like the usual bait and switch. You come in for an audition and the people try to sell lessons instead.

I found this acting place on craigslist to be in a Russell Crowe movie.
but then when I went there they wanted about $3.50 for a headshot, which I already got.
It was a total scam, learned that if they ask you for money its a scam.

My 2 cousins, one girl 16 and the other a boy 11, were recently “accepted” into an agency called “Seattle Talent.” They heard about it through an ad on the radio to come in for a free audition. Well the girl, I believe could be a model if she wanted to. But the boy, I do not feel like he has real talent to be an actor and that’s what he is thinking is going to happen. They have already made a payment of $3,000 to them that I know of, and possibly much more.
They are supposedly taking classes right now to improve their skills? This whole thing has just sounded fishy to me from the beginning. My aunt and uncle are both very naive as well as the kids, and could get scammed very easily. They are hurting financially with a failing restaurant and I feel that they are desperate and jumping on this thinking they are going to make a bunch of money with their kids turning into famous actors.
I can’t seem to find too much on this company, but I have seen that they are linked to another company called “John Robert Powers,” or JRP, and this company has lots of bad things being said about it. They have supposedly scammed a lot of people out of a lot of money. I’m just wondering if they are indeed linked together somehow, and if they should be trusted with huge sums of money right from the get go, just to take classes.

They are a charm school NOT casting directors or agents. ONLY casting directors can book talent and the audition is to see if you already have the skills not to sell services. Casting directors do not sell classes. The sales people are commissioned so they sell the “dream” to kids and parents because that is their paycheck. Their contracts however always state that they have about as much ability to get anyone acting work as your auto mechanic… none. They need to fully read the contract to find out exactly what they paid for which is most likely classes.

But, yes, they may be linked and if not, they are using the same practices.

Please take Craig’s list for what it is, you would never get proper acting jobs on Craig’s list, the moment I read violet as the name of the person, African scam straight to mind came to me. It is a scam regardless of what they say. They will promise you the world and it’s all about how good they can act and thread you a story. These scammers disgust me and if caught should do 3 years community work from prison, they are scum who prey on the innocent and naive. Don’t be taken in trust me, I have over 20 in acting, auditions and other areas. Take care

Unfortunately, the Nigerian (or other) scammers are not in the US. The money will eventually go to another country through Western Union and there is nothing anyone in the US can do to get them. They will never do jail time for any of the scams they pull or lives they ruin.

So, I have a question and I need a QUICK answer. I replied to an ad on Craigslist saying that they were looking for new talent and to provide one picture (doesn’t have to be a professional photo). I thought, “Well, I have nothing to lose.” and I sent a photo to them. About two weeks later, a lady named Violet emails me telling me that as a committee they decided to offer me a 2 hour fashion shoot for HELLO Magazine in my state. It’s $2000 for the 2 hours of work and there’s no nudity, fetish, or any adult content. She told me to send me my measurements and 3 pictures of myself and the address that my check can be mailed to.
I gave her my measurements and everything and she said that on Saturday there would be a check coming for $2000. So on Saturday, I checked the mail and there was a check from Toyota in Texas for $1950. She said to keep $400 for the upfront pay and wire the rest using a MoneyGram to a store manager in Houston, Texas so they can get my outfit for the photo shoot ready. Violet also said that the flying cost and all the expenses will be paid for and I can bring one person with me, but I am responsible for their well being. She said that the $2000 will be given to me after the photo shoot is over.
I am little nervous and I have no idea how these things work because this is my first time with any exposure to the modeling world. I wanted some advice on whether or not this is legit because I don’t want to be wasting my time. ANY ADVICE IS APPRECIATED!

That is the Nigerian check cashing scam (also known as 419) that is all over Craigslist. The check is a fake, you cash it, send the money to another country and 2 days later the bank holds you responsible for cashing a check that was forged from someone you do not know. Oldest scam on the internet and before the internet. It is a confidence scam, someone convinces you to give them money and by cashing a check which is just a piece of paper backed up by your word… you would be doing it.

A check is not real money unless it’s cleared and it can take 2 to 7 days to clear a check. The banks usually front the money to account holders as a courtesy for accounts in good standing and the scammers rely on that. Ultimately when days later it bounces, its your credit and you responsible because you took the chance on it being a good check and took the money before it actually cleared. Think about it… why do they need you, or trust you to send THEIR people money…. Nobody works this way. Would you send a stranger from Craigslist real money and ask they forward it?

Nobody but a scammer will pay someone sight unseen and ask for you to cash a check then mail them money. Take it to the cops. People have been killed over this scam!

Ok so, I went through almost all the comments and it seems that everyone is asking whether “this or that” is legit… and a lot of the replies are partially true. I’ve been working as an actor for a couple of years now, and was training in a local acting ‘camp’ so I met a bunch of actors off of Broadway and video games and such..
2. I saw people pointing and asking about John Casablancas, Seattle Talent, and John Robert Powers…. these three are schools.. nothing more than schools. Yes its true they give opportunities of auditioning for scouts, but you do have to pay. every actor trains, I train, I’m sure Robert Downey Jr went to training, Gregg Sulkin often he goes to training sessions, so yeah its a thing we do. I have 3 different friend with 3 different stories…

Shaundi- She is an actress that I’ve personally worked with since we were in 6th grade being in plays together. She attended John Casablancas and did pay, but the good thing is that she became a model, she does runways and is also acting, she gets to act along Alex Vincent the guy who played Andy in Child’s Play. So I can say it worked for her.

Isaias- He is also a close friend since the 9th grade, he too joined John Casablancas but it didn’t work for him. He said he was getting tired of not getting work.. OK that’s a problem you must be patient! it obviously didn’t work for him.
Liz- Surprise surprise, also have worked together since the 7th grade, we both went together to a Seattle Talent audition here locally, we both went through the process which was read a short commercial and if you could sing, sing. She got called back and I didn’t 🙁 but I now find that as a blessing. Later she told me, what everyone says when you here you have to pay, she said it was probably a scam. She went on to tell me that she went to the callback and they told her that she had to take classes and that she was going to end up paying. She told them that she couldn’t, they just get to the part where she’d audition for casting directors, the lady told her no because at this point she wasn’t good enough and she needed training to be able to make it. So I don’t know where it leaves me.

Ok, so also a lot of you said they were asking you to pay for pictures.. yes agents sometimes do so, they aren’t charging you, the photographer is charging you. Your headshot is your calling card. it is an 8″ x 10″, color picture with your resume attached to the back. YOU NEED THESE PICTURES.

3. It’s good to be out there and searching for auditions, but just by going on Google and typing “auditions” or “movie auditions” will only lead you to a bunch of scams. So if you want to audition for TV, go to their websites like ABC, CBS, etc and usually if you are on their websites they have a tab for auditions and it takes you to legit casting calls by that channel. also you could go to (redacted) posts casting calls from the US to the UK. and steps to submit yourself.. that’s how I got to be an extra on the film “Laggies” filmed in Seattle.

talking about being extras…
1. If you see a casting call for extras, make sure its local, for example don’t submit if you live in Texas and the project is in LA. Extras need to be local because you do not get paid for hotels like the leads do. Also because sometimes the call times are early in the morning or they get canceled or you get called an hour before.. so yeah that would be a problem.

2. there are rules to live by when on set as an extra, don’t go up to the actors and ask for autographs and pictures, you are all on set together as a team to create art, so don’t be the starstruck making everyone mad.
If you have a facebook join an actor support group, lol sounds funny but you wont believe how much info you can get from other people who have been acting for a long time… a good one to join is ‘Actors Supporting Actors’ ask questions on there and someone will answer you.
So I’m kinda done here… unless you have any more questions.. you can reach me at eydrianneruiz@yahoo.com

I don’t think the question of whether training is necessary or not is at issue, the issue is how some programs attempt to HIDE the fact that they are schools and not agents. The franchises use commissioned sales people who really push the envelope to get that sale. They entice people with ads for auditions then use a ‘bait and switch’ tactic to get the money…. i.e. you come in thinking you have an audition for a paying job and leave having bought classes you did not expect to.

There are lots of acting schools for those actively searching for them, most of the very good ones have waiting lists and do not advertise auditions for some non-existent acting gig just to get you in the door, they don’t have to, their classes are already in high demand with long waiting lists.

Robert Downey JR. did not go to Casablancas, etc. He began at the age of 5 because his father is Robert Downey SR., director, producer, writer, actor. But, yes, he did go to a pretty elite acting school when he was young.

Bottom line, if you are going to pay for classes, make sure it’s with a reputable school and USABLE on your resume. Do not just take some classes because someone at some audition for ummm…. nothing, told you to because you have ‘star potential’….

I hear on the radio an ad for iPOP Audition, I took my daughter after calling, signing her up, and getting an e-mail with the part she had to recite. She memorized the part, I dressed her nicely (upper scale) as they requested on the e-mail I received, and took pictures with me. They chose a “headshot”, and had a form. They presented the company as the founder of Zac Efron, a girl from “Switched At Birth”, the boy/star from “Once Upon A Time” (which their picture is in their website), and a entire bla about good GPA and family union. They presented a show about their company. They also said that they would help the kids to find agents around the country to work with other companies as: Guess, GAP, Disney (TV Shows), and several others. They were saying they would lead the kids for the right path. Right away they came with the “form of payment and different choices”. They chose my daughter and I noticed they were choosing a lot of people. As soon as I said “I spoke to her father and he will not pay any money up front, since you say she is so talented and beautiful…” the woman told me there was no reason for us to finish the conversation and she asked me if I had family to support her (meaning money) I said no, and she continued to say it was a shame her father doesn’t want to invest in her talent. I send her a text asking when would be their next audition and then I could be more prepared. She did not respond. I have seen their site, but there are so many red flags. Do you know anything about iPOP?

I saw an ad on craiglist saying they were in need of amateur models. This girl Amber Storse who claims to be an independent casting agent and model coach. She says I cannot be paid until she is paid and that would be whenever I am booked or etc. She asked for a headshot first and my age, weight, height, size then is now asking for a picture in a swim suit facing front, back, and both sides that can be self taken. Is this girl legit or not? Shes replying through a models6000 gmail account.. Seems rather fishy to me.

Just don’t give them any money. If they ask for money for ‘model coaching services’ then you can just say sorry, but no. Scammers use fake names so really hard to tell by a name or email. Pictures in swim suits are pretty routine. If you are worried about sending in the pictures ask for more info such as company name, address, references, etc. Legit companies will always provide you their company name, phone, address, etc.

It’s a total scam!
As others were saying earlier, the person or company hiring should meet you in person, not ever ask for money up front, set up a meeting and go from there with photo shoots.
I shot independent photo work before and took a guy friend with me for safety. I was paid well! But we spoke on the phone, I sent a couple clothes photos and he was building his portfolio.

Hi, I was wondering about something I found recently. The website is called castingcallhub. To try to get a role, you have to post a comment saying why you want the role and you give your email address. I wanted to submit my comment for a role on Jessie, but was concerned if it was a fake. Please help!!!!

That is not the way it works. You cannot post a comment to get a role…. EVER!!!!! Jessie is an old show with a full cast. The only roles you could hope for are as an extra which is cast through central casting in Los Angeles. No comments, just go there and give them your info, you must live in L.A. Casting directors do not troll 1000’s of comments from anonymous profiles and pick people to star in a multi million dollar venture that way…. would you? That is what agents are for. All lead, supporting and guest spots are done through agents. Extras go through Central Casting.

What do you think about castinghub. my son had audition with them and payed $ 6000.00, cancelled the next day but refuse to cancel stating that we signed a waiver for cancellation. Auditions were very similar to what you described. any suggestions. Big mistake! Be careful with these scammers. Thanks

I auditioned with Break into Hollywood Studios in NYC. They want $2150 for a 5 month actor training program which includes resume build, photos, acting lessons, learning the business and a showcase that shows the actors talents to numerous casting directors, potential agencies etc. is the company legit?

If yes, is this the best way for an aspiring actor with no experience to start in this business? If not, what is the best way to break into this business?

Will casting directors audition me if I don’t have any experience? Thank you!

This is amazing, thank you for offering wonderful support and advice! Here is my scenario – I responded to this Craig’s list ad for extra work from a company called “NYC Background Casting”. I went to their office in Midtown Manhattan, gave a cold read and was given a slip of paper with a number and man’s name to call the next morning. The man told me that they want to get me working right away but I need a headshot. He gave me the name of a photographer and I have a shoot booked for $199.00. The website for the photographer is very nice but I cannot find a single bit of info online about “NYC Background Casting”. They want me to go back to the office immediately after my shoot. Is this legit? do extras need headshots? All of the shows they told me they are submitting me for background work are actually shooting in NYC. I’m just concerned they are a scam funneling people to photographers with no real extra work. What do you think – should I go through with the shoot?
Here is the ad- note the mention of “new faces”
TV SHOW needing Background talent that can portray Affluent, Upscale, Professional Types. Also seeking Character types. Non-Union Men & Women ages 21 to 55. Seeking Background Actors/Extras for this week. New faces welcome.

It sounds a bit odd. Extras are not really actors and can usually get away with a snapshot. Many extras casting companies even just take their own photos. You can call central casting NY – 875 6 Ave New York, NY 10001 – (646) 205-8244.

Since extras make minimum wage and work every now and then as projects need them, it seems a bit unreasonable to demand professional quality headshots. If you think that is their way to funnel people to that photographer, you can simply say that you will get your own photos, as in thanks for the referral, but no thanks. Then see what they say. If they say it is a deal breaker then your instincts may have been correct.

In New York and Los Angeles there are some gray area companies that recruit people for extra work, that they then send to central casting but with them as your agent (extras do not need agents). Basically, they then demand that you hand over a percent of your earnings to them since they referred you there.

Point being is anyone can call central casting on their own and make an appointment to get on their books. These middlemen are just trying to squeeze money out of the talents check.

One more thing…. I just realized you said $199 for the photoshoot. That price most likely is for the photographers time taking pictures. There are classic scams which lure people in with cheap or free photoshoots, Once the shoot is over, if you would like to have any pictures from the shoot they charge additional and higher fees for prints, negatives and disks. Before you go, make sure you find out what the money covers as well as how many prints and do you get the images on disk so you can get reprints on your own.

We also went to an Disney / Nickelodeon casting call we heard on the radio 104 krbe. We showed up and my daughter did the audition and appeared to do well and of which she received a call a couple hours later to come back tomorrow for a orientation as she seemed to have lots of potential per their words. Anyway it seems this is geared towards acting classes at universal studios in California as they state that actors from Disney and Nickelodeon will be there. Just before I got off the phone the lady told me that we would have to make a $1000 dollar down payment using a credit card. Does this sound to be real? They kept stating that (removed) is a well known casting director or something and that he was responsible for scouting several actors such as Kara Crane grime minute men, Lindsey Haun from Tue Blood, Tyler Blackburn pretty little lyres etc etc. After reading all the other postings it sounds like a scam. Can anyone point me to real acting classes, agents etc? Of course my daughters Heart is broken but at least we attempted to take a shot at this! Any help would be great. Also their website, the acting league, looks really cheesy and fake. Something I thought was odd is that they asked that we did not take any pictures or try to call their contacts until we were called back for the second audition. Has anyone heard of the folks. Help please.

I just want to write this so nobody else has to go through what I went through. I was raped by a man posing as a casting agent from a modeling agency called Jurgita. He said his name is Novid Dadmand but from researching I found he goes by other names too such as David, and Novio. He preys on people from model mayhem to other sites such as Craigslist. This happened in Vancouver,BC so if there’s anyone from there on here and are looking into modeling please be wary of him.
My advice to everyone is please please do not trust anyone who is offering you tons of money and has never even met you. Do not meet anyone alone and always do tons of researching of the agency name they give you, their name that they give you, and always type in their telephone number and into Google as this is a great way to find out if someone’s a scam. Thank you and goodluck

When I worked at Disney doing castings for the entertainments division in Paris, we advertised in certain publications that stated this isa Disney audition, we never limited numbers at the audition because Disney do group dance auditions unless its a specific dept hiring a certain act. To all reading this, if money is mentioned however sweet the promise sounds walk out and donate your money to a good charity, alarm bells should be ringing and you do not pay for agents or a photo portfolio, a real agent takes your picture usually head shot and side shots with a digital camera then you may act a small scene out if auditioning for a tv commercial or apart in a play or theatre. I have expressed assistance to so many blindness sheep who fall for the agent, acting scam but if you do not learn after you have been scammed once then your heading for an expensive ordeal. I blame governments for not coming down heavy on these vultures. I could easily set up my own agency, ask for photos that I could easilyost to an agent and that’s it, my cost to the agent would be free but to the customer what ever I ask and how I market it, it is so easy to do. Don’t fall for the sales pitch, these people disgust me and karma will catch up with them. Paul. Ex Disney recruiter, actor, presenter.

The other day I heard an ad on the radio station I listen to saying something about auditions being held in Des Moines and only the first 200 callers get an audition. They mentioned shows like good luck Charlie, Jessie and other various Disney shows. So I called for my daughter, and they set up an audition time for next Saturday, the 31st at the holiday inn in Des Moines. All they said to bring was a photo. After a lot of googling, I’m assuming its all a scam! Is it a scam?

It is a sales pitch to get you there so you can buy classes, pictures, conventions, etc. Disney does not advertise on the radio and if you listen carefully to the ad they probably said something like “If your kids want to be on the Disney Channel or a show like “Jessie”, be one of the first 200 callers right now.” The ads do not specifically say “Disney is holding auditions”. That is how they get you in. Saying “Does the kid want to be on Disney”? is meaningless garble because whose kid does not. The ads are designed to make you hear “Disney auditions” without them ever actually saying that they are affiliated with Disney in any way. It’s a very fine line.

Don’t do it is my advice. I live in Holland and I am English, I have 4 agents and I do not pay a penny, they call me for auditions and they take a head shot picture every time. You should not pay an agent as they do take a commission for any jobs they land you but that is like the 15/20% you talk about. My Niece in the UK was promised a similar package as your and she paid for a 1 year service, she had no auditions. I get sick of these companies and so called agencies asking for money, you should not have to pay and it is a scam in my eyes. Do not be taken in, write or google real casting agents and see what the procedures are. You should not have to pay and don’t pay.

Hollywood auditions called me, are they a scam? They want 348.00 for three years and they said they would put my headshot to different agents and send me a job list that I could follow up with. He said this is a one time fee for three years and he doesn’t get any of the money I make from the jobs if I find one and when I land am agent then the agent will get 10 to 15%. Does this sound right?
Thanks

I am a ex Disney trainer of Character animation and recruiter for their parades and shows based in Paris, also I am a actor when I can get the work. I have 3 agents I signed up to in the Netherlands where I live now and none have asked me for money. Due to my job in sales, I travel a lot having the free time is to go for auditions is difficult. It is also correct the agents get paid when the actor has the contract signed and acting job has been completed. I warned my Niece in the UK not to pay any money for anyone promising work or in need to take pictures for any kind of acting work, it sickens me to my stomach that there are so many scammers. My Niece was sold the usual success story and paid without asking me for advice. In the 2 years on their books she has not had one telephone call let alone work. I hate having to say, I told you so but some people will only learn or should learn after they have been scammed. As for Disney and working there, they hold regular dance auditions for their parks quite often and if you cannot dance well, well you can always consider being a Character in the park. If you hand money over in any form, it is more likely to be a scam. Be careful.

Wow! Lots of great stuff here….
Still confused about Seattle Talent…they ask for $2k for the classes, but at the end there is no guarantee for work for my kids? I thought they had a bunch of connections?
Advice please? Thank you!

For comparison, a TOP Rated, well respected acting school in Seattle charges about $400 for a 3 month, 4 hour per week, class. Many community colleges also offer acting classes during the summer. My local community college offers a kids acting class for about $95.

I have exotic twin sisters that are 15, we are from Maryland and we went to see interface, they asked for money for comp cards to send to different agencies but I don’t know is it legit. I really want them to try to find a good agency that doesn’t ask for money help me please.

AMAM is a scam even if it’s a SAG franchised agency. The owner of AMAM tries to make money out of her talents. At first she sends the talent to her own photographers to get a new headshot even if the talent has already a strong portfolio. She tries to SELL business cards, headshots and comp cards with the agency logo.
A legitimate modeling agency will never ask you to pay. They will invest in you and make their money back when they get you working. Another thing that models legitimately need but should never be expected to pay for is a comp card with the agency logo. Seriously, the agency and only the agency is going to use those comp cards with the logo and it’s not acceptable to pay for those. The agency owner plays favorites and only advertises a few talents by posting their news and pictures on the agency website or on her facebook page. She only sends e-mails with the GOOD opportunities (not 100$ gigs) to her “favorite” talents and if you are not one of them…well you will keep finding your own gigs through Craiglist and ModelMayhem.

Today I was at the mall and a woman approached me handing me a postcard thing. She said,”Hi this is for you. Tell your parents about this. I don’t normally talk alone with kids” then she walked away. What she handed my sister and I was a postcard thing that said,”Congratulations! You’ve been invited to a Acting/Modeling/Dancing/Singing Workshop! This workshop is looking for inexperienced models/actors/singer/dancers! We have trained professionals to help teach walk the runway, become a model, and slate for commercials. We are associated with agencies that have agents from Twilight, ICarly, Bones, and many more! Ages: 8-17 only please! Sunday only at: 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm. Please pick the most comfortable time.” Then on the back you had to fill out your name, age, gender, email address, and many other things and it said,” please have this ready at check-in.” It didn’t say the price. The lady also gave us her number to call her if we had questions. It seems real but I don’t want to take any chances. Plus my mom is worried we might have to pay 2k for like a 10 minute session. But I don’t know! My dad’s sister got the same thing 30 years ago when she was 10. It was legit but cost a lot of money! Also is The International Arts Academy real? It said the address but I’m scared and confused. I’m also an amazing actress. I’ve done plays, drama club and I can act but I’m not sure about this. I just need a boost for a career. Please help!

To all who wish to audition for film & tv roles, Actors & actress friends. Avoid any email audition notices that say “The John Kerwin Show, Close Up Segment. It is not an audition. It is a scam into being part of his audience taping. Share this with all who might far prey into this. Spread the word as loudly as you can. This type of deception is the stuff that gives Hollywood a bad name.

Funny story on OneSourceTalent; I submitted a pro headshot & got a call within 2 hrs, I decided to play along never telling them my exp. level or specifics. I was selected for the next round of sales pitches, I thought I would throw them a curve & bring several cds with any sort of professional photos, I placed a $20.00 bill in the cd envelopes & nicked the bill & envelope with a sharpie, the rep took the envelopes out of the room & told me she would let the manager look at them, 5 minutes pass & the manager(Diana) came back & told me there was no way they could use them because they were not professional enough! I checked the envelopes & the 20.00 bills were exactly where I had placed them. Point being that anyone reading this: OneSource talent is a fraud not a scam!

I also have a screen shot of a letter she sent me but am unsure how to upload it for you to see could I email it to someone? It says to contact Martina Lopez. I google searched that name an it seams more like a scam when an old lady came up 1st.

Hi there I am concerned about my sister. She is trying to get into the big time modeling and has being offered to go to NYC. She lives in New Zealand and to my knowledge has not much experience so why would that happen? The offer is for Ford modeling and the casting call is from Facebook http://m.facebook.com/#!/open.castings?fref=fr_tab&__user=582331472 .. I am 100% sure this is a scam of some sort.. Please respond.

Have you heard of nonscripted.tv? My daughter placed an application online for Survivor and The Amazing Race about a month and a half ago. A man named James Kay called her and did about a 45 min. “pre-audition”. He kept telling her he really liked her fresh, enthusiastic attitude. He said her answers were great also. This was all “recorded” so they could have a voice analysis done.
He asked permission to present her to their production staff the next morning. He did ask for 5-10 more head/body shots that would show her personality. My daughter did that and the next afternoon he called as promised.
He said each week the agents get to present five possible clients to the production staff and of his five they unanimously liked her the best. Then came the pressure, for $299 they would set up an online profile, they would then present her to producers, etc…the kicker was she had to get back to him that same afternoon or he’d have to go to the next client on the list. He also said they only took credit cards for the payment. Plus he said if she decided not to do it she could not apply for any reality show for two years! Thankfully she didn’t give in and said she’d call him back, he added that he was leaving for an out of town wedding that afternoon so he needed to hear as soon as possible.
From the information found on this website this smells and feels like a scam. Thank you for all the good information and advise found here.

Auditions for the Amazing Race for 2013 are over You can still apply for Survivor (see below). When they are held, they are free and open calls are held across the country. You can find them at CBS http://www.cbs.com/casting/.

I have been in this industry for 30 years.
It is not realistic to think of is free.
Is any other business free?
Training. Photos, exposure to agents,are all necessary in order to work
Get real here- you pay for what you get.
Show me a good working actor or model that did not have to invest- none!

Hi there, has anyone received a YouTube message on a dance video saying that it would be great for the new ABC Family Dancing Fools show? I know that the show is legit but I don’t know if the people that contacted me are. They told me that my video would be great to feature on the show and to contact a lady named Karen Love via her email (clearancekaren@gmail.com). I did this to find out more about it and was sent back an Authorization to Use and a Personal Release document to sign. I haven’t done this yet as I am a bit skeptical about it. I don’t want to sign over the rights of the video to a company/person unless I know it’s legit.
?

CASTING BACKGROUND TALENT FOR MAJOR CABLE NETWORK (Los Angeles)
Casting background talent as restaurant patrons for a new show on a major network. We need people with great energy to act as if they are going out for a meal. Need to be able to react to the situations going on around you. Please respond with your availability to the following dates with your first and last names, PICTURE, and telephone number. Need people for April 4, 8, 12, 16, 18 and 22. You do not need to be available for all dates. The more the better. Talk to you soon!
Location: Los Angeles
Compensation: $50 plus meal (I spoke to the guy he told me to dress nice and if possible to take a friend so when eating the meal it would look more real. He also spoke about having a wardrobe at the audition. He asked for my email and told me he was going to email me the details, is this a scam or can be?)

Castinghub has done it again in Boston. They call you in the middle of the night to tell you about the call back after you have done the first interview with them. Why middle of the night? Is it because you will agree with everything they tell you including bringing your credit card to let them charge you an arm and a leg without even a guarantee of a job? I am glad I checked it out first because I smelled something fishy after the conversation with the so called casting agent or whatever they claim themselves to be. There were so many unexpected parents there and I hope none of them will take the “bait”. Thanks for the warning here.

I understand you don’t pay someone for a job, but you do pay people to get training for a job. That seems like it can make sense in some situations. When is the big question. It would be helpful if someone had some positive feedback about any one of these. Not all of them can be rip-offs. Seattle Talent seems to be genuine, especially when they were willing to give back an entire refund when they had every right to keep it. If they were truly a scam they would have kept the money.

Selling a service is not a scam. The problem with so many companies is that they use ‘bait and switch’ tactics to sell the service. For instance, companies that advertise to have an open casting call for you to come to, but really it is just a sales meeting to sell classes or whatever. It is the same as McDonalds doing a job fair where they advertise to have positions open but when you get there you find out it’s not really McDonalds, but rather some cooking school just using the name and they start trying to sell you lessons to make cheeseburgers. Point is, you didn’t go there to buy something, you went there to get a paying job.

I don’t think anyone has an issue with paying for a service, the issue comes up when they hide the fact that they ARE a service and NOT a casting director hiring actors for REAL jobs.

In most industries if you buy something then decide you don’t want it, you get a refund for whatever was not used. There is nothing out of the ordinary or special about getting refunds.

I also want to thank you, for spending your time giving free advice to so many. A good friend of mine has a simple answer (to most, if not all of these questions) : “If you have to ask, you already know the answer.” Listen to your gut. You wouldn’t be asking if an ‘Agent’ was legit if they were. You would know if you walked into a legit situation. I don’t believe any ‘entertainment’ type job will be easy/fall into your lap/ be flattering/ pay extra, etc… there will be work, effort, disappointment, and many attempts with many rejections. If you have a question or a doubt, read through this blog! And… proof read / spell check people.

You don’t pay to enter adult. That industry is always looking for new models. You can go to any local production company or even website and find out what to do. Many sites have a link at the bottom that says “models wanted” or something along that line.

I just recently got a call from a company informing me of an audition, I attended the audition, got a call back the next day and was asked to go into their office for a meeting with a lady who was a part of the company. there they told me I was one of the 10 people selected from 100. She then briefly explained to me how now I was eligible to enroll in their 6 month training program, preparing us for a showcase in the summer. However, the cost was nearly $2,000. It is now too late to get my money back, and now I can not stop feeling guilty for allowing myself to fall victim of a SCAM! She did say that if I do not get a callback from an agent after the showcase she would be sure that I at least get an agent afterwards… It feels like I’m paying $2,000 for just an agent!

You cannot pay to get an agent nor can ANYONE guarantee that an agent will be interested. Having some lousy agent for bragging rights is worthless. The reason people want an agent is because an agent MAY get you work. Just because you have someone that you paid $2K to to say they are your agent does not mean they can or EVER will get you any work.

I filled out the application it asked for my name , number, gender,and my age the called me the day after they talked to my parents and they said they would like me to go to there office in framanhan mass to audition in acting and modeling. I have no idea if this is a scam plz help!!!!!:/

I sent in my head shot, resume, and reel for a casting call for a sprint commercial. They made me do a conference call, then the next day they said I got it. At first it seemed real asking what agency I was with, am I a SAG member, have to sign a disclosure document, etc. but now they want me to register on the web site castingusa.info
I feel this is a scam, what do you think?

Hello, my daughter went to a 2 hour session yesterday @ Hollywood Access, they showed us pictures of actors that got on tv, did interviews & a camera session then asked for us to call them back to see if our child made the cut & of course wanted money for lessons. if so… have you heard of them, are they legit??

Hey, I modeled for Audition America Tour & was chosen as one of the winners, but then after they told me in order to keep going I have to pay a 3 payments of $50 & that we have up to 20 different photoshoots, A shirt that says audition america tour , we can only wear one outfit & we get all our pictures on a CD. & 3 payments of $99 for the same thing but more photoshoots, 2 outfits & instead of the CD we get the portfolio & a TShirt that says Audition America Tour. Then the finals we have to compete and I guess this time they record you either singing, dancing, modeling, or acting. They said they send it out to about 75 different agencies. Then you wait a couple weeks for them to see if any of them want to sign you. Is it a scam??

i found an ad on kijij where in Hamilton Ontario they are looking for models to model for Arabic clothes, they asked me to send pictures and give them my date of birth and said they would book me for an audition by the end of the week. I’m not going to the audition because I just found out reading on your site that it’s all a scam. I’m just wondering what are they going to do with my 2 photos and my date of birth? The 2 photos weren’t that great anyway.

Wouldn’t worry about anyone having your headshots. I really can’t think of anything anyone would do with them. Many scammers ask for photos of you so they can later sell you something and having your photos allows them to use flattery.

We are in the digital era and getting photos of anyone and anything is just a click away on Facebook… assuming these are not explicit photos.

Their site’s description says “John Casablancas Modeling and Career Centers is a United States based training system designed to help new talent pursue careers in the modeling”

If you Google the name, the above is the description of the site.

from their site “At John Casablancas, we are committed to providing students with the tools they need to create an individual and unique style in a fun, exciting and professional environment. ” key word being student.

You can go to consumer sites like ripoff report and see what former students say.

Audition America is NOT an agent. They are a convention and photo service. Casting directors do NOT do mall talent searches, EVER. There are just too many trained and qualified actors currently waiting tables who would love an acting job. They have no reason to waste time approaching unqualified and non-trained beginners at Macy’s. It is simply not the way any industry works.

Is John Casablancas a scam or not? I applied for this website called ExploreTalent.Com and I added Professional headshots, and all that stuff, including my weight and shoe size, also my age. Then 2 months later, my dad got a call saying that I was selected for both Modeling and Acting. I auditioned and I got a “B”, I was surprised because I know NOTHING about modeling lol. I just did it. Then they called me for a second one. It’s going to be held next week. They haven’t asked me for any money at all. But my friend is in John Casablancas she has to pay for her classes. She’s doing very well. She’s even doing something for Disney Channel. A lot of people have been telling me that it’s a scam (in other websites) but according to her, it’s not. We’re really, really close friends too. So I just really want to know if it really is a scam or not… Thanks, I’m very much appreciative.

Model Discovery comment from Charity- I took my kids and they did pretty much what they advertised. I got pix of my kids that they said I can take to an agency and they gave us a list for agencies in the 2 areas we were interested in who they said were reputable. They had a model agency booker from NYC that was there, but he didn’t really rep kids, which was not a problem. My husband queried him on the side and he said that this Bumper person- the photographer- was shooting Tommy Hilfiger in the past and that he wouldn’t be flying in from NYC to just hang out if it wasn’t legit.

I went to a website that was listed as his when my husband googled him- if it was a scam, he would have gone and made them pay the money back. I found his celebrity page and it was all that he said- and his lifestyle pages and fashion pages are surely legit.

I’m sending the pix out and would recommend people to not look at their service as a scam, its what they said, in my opinion. I modeled in the past and I know that people can have too high of an expectation, and I was guilty of that, was brought down to earth and found a niche in sports related ad work, so I know its tough, but this is a good way to get photos from a photographer without giving up 1600 bucks on a pro package from testing like I did. That worked, but my kids are just starting, so this was what we needed. We did get about 45 of my daughter, and about 60 of my son- he’s younger, and he’s squirming and probably took more to get good ones, but these will work for us! Hope this helps.

I’m amazed at all of the people commenting on this website who have not bothered to read the article or the surrounding comments, where the website host already answered the question. Several times, in fact, and patiently. Learn to read. Stop being lazy. (Oh wait. I forgot. More than half of those writing probably will not stop to read this or the article itself.). /sigh

A tip for searching: ctrl-F is your best friend. Just like anything in life, you will get what you’re looking for when you search and work for it: not “waiting” for someone to plop the opportunity, deal, or “dream” that you haven’t been actively pursuing acting school classes for and community theatre with, right in your lap (and especially not for a fee that pays them when you’re supposed to be the one doing the work.).

Get your own photographer. Get your own experience from local productions that do not ask you for money for you to act in.

I can’t believe it. I should of checked first before I wasted almost $5,000 on interface. Wow me my dad my sister and everyone else doing that got scammed and still is getting scammed now. I’m furious they are playing with mine and everyone else’s dream, that’s not right. >:(

Casting Hub is NOT an agent, they have no way of getting you work. The auditions are a bait and switch tactic to get you in so their salespeople can bleed you dry by selling you on expensive photos, classes, conventions, websites and what not. Disney, Nickelodeon and others DO NOT work this way and do not use such companies to find talent. These types of auditions are not real auditions for work. They use the word audition to get you interested and hooked.

I went for an audition yesterday at Seattle Talents. I was told to sing and read a commercial. I called them today and they said everything is ok. They said I do not need any classes but before I sign a contract with them, I need to take a photo headshot that cost $465.00. Please is Seattle Talent genuine?

I’m so pissed right now! My sister-in-law was at the mall with her child, dropped his name and her contact info in an “Audition America” box in front of Macy’s…She then got a call about a week later saying they wanted to see her son. Excited, she told everyone about it and I decided I’d love to watch my lil nephew work the runway and wow the judges at his audition! When we arrived, I thought every thing looked pretty “legit”…There was a stage, “scouts”, even a mini photo shoot stage. After the introduction, which included a short greeting from the “founder” of “Audition America”, two “success” stories about two models that “started it all” with “Audition America” and even an example of how one is supposed to audition, the “real” audition began. All in all, the “audition” lasted no longer than 30 seconds per “contestant”. After all “contestants” or should I say VICTIMS walked down the runway, every one returned to their seats and waited to find out if the “passed” or had to “try again”. Of course, my beautiful nephew passed and we were all very pleased. THEN we were given a piece of paper saying the next step was a 15 look photo shoot, because he is under 5. When the “scout” “explained” the shoot, she said $10 a shot…She left out the part that you had to get AT LEAST 15 shots, bringing the total to $150…That is where I became concerned. From my past experiences with other SCAMS I learned that no money should be given up front, especially if YOU are looking for WORK. These people present themselves very smart. They do not mention anything about PAYMENTS until the very END, when your hopes high. They are full of shit and know what they are doing. I feel bad for my sis in law, cuz she was F***ED out of $150 she could have used, but honestly, I feel worse for the people running this “company”. They are doing wrong, selling dreams, and are fully aware of it. Screw them for real.

Anyone ever heard of a talent/modeling agency charging for an interview? This is for a 7 month old….pics were sent into this agency in Atlanta and they want to see him, however, are charging for an interview….Called Atlanta’s Young Faces…anyone had any contact with them?

For those of you inquiring about Model Discovery Casting, I just took my kids today and basically it is a glorified portrait session. I originally heard about them through Living Social. It was advertised as: All-Ages Fashion Shoot with Celebrity Photographer, Plus Casting Call with Modeling Agent and $100 Toward Hair, Makeup, or Photo Package. So, we waited an hour and a half before our photo shoot. My kids just wore the clothes they came in, costume changes were not allowed. Their website says they do a 50 image shoot, but I bought a voucher for each of my 2 kids, and I’m pretty sure we didn’t even get 50 images in total. There was no casting call, it was just advice/question & answer with an agent. And by advice, I mean a piece of paper with a list of agencies to contact. They give $100 to spend on either hair & makeup ($50) or a USB drive with all your images and the rights to those images ($299).

I wouldn’t classify Model Discovery Casting as a scam, per se. They do most of what they claim, maybe just not to the extent they claim. It seems very half-assed compared to their website or the Living Social description. Definitely not worth the money. If you want to get nice head shots and get advice on how to solicit your photos to agencies, I would suggest finding an amateur photographer with a good camera and do you research online. You would get the same results, if not better than going to MDC!!!

thanks i really appreciate the help but …i need to find an agent and im in michigan i called the burbank one that was on the link and she was tellling me how theres no casting directors and how you actually have to live in the sate in order for it to work i understand the reality t.v. part but i need an agent would u possible kno anyone here in michigan….and for the casting calls for reality t.v or extras and anything special like that would you know exactly which one on the link or on ur website would i have to choose??? And thanks again for the help i’v been waiting for something like this to happen.

So is there any sites that are real…and not a scam for your money cause all I’m seeing here is how this website and that website is a scam. Is there any that aint. I mean seriously is there any that are really taking people and making them famous. I would love to become famous or at least get paid good money. This economy is s**t right now and I could use a lot more money than what I’m getting paid now and I dont have time for something to take forever and even if doing auditons and going to casting calls take for ever it will be worth it cause it would be alot easier. Where is there a real agencies that actually does real t.v. shows and actually is being serious when they say they did batman 3 or the amazing spider man or t.v. shows like 30 rock or any disney channel shows. Is there any please like the person who has created this site has to know something or some one out there. I’ve already been scammed by a few. Ican tell you right now EXPLORETELANT (SCAM) ONESOURCE (SCAM) and so is THEATRICS and a whole bunch of other ones. So like I said before can someone (most perferably the owner of this site) becuase you must know something….can they help plzz

No website can make you famous, period! The industry does not work that way. If it was as easy as paying for a website and you become famous, everybody would be rich and famous. The only way into speaking parts in films is with an agent. To get an agent, an actor(who is not related to anyone in Hollywood) needs to work very hard and build up their resume. REAL agents do not charge upfront fees, tell you they will make you famous or promise riches. There is a list of agencies on this site http://www.auditionsfree.com/actors-resources/background-and-extras-casting-agencies-by-state-for-us-uk-and-au/.

To do reality TV or extra work you do not need an agent, you can just reply to the casting calls.

I Replied To A Post On Craigslist About A Modeling Job. The Guy Shane Corder Said That They Are Gonna Pay Me $1000 Before I Start The Photo shoot, So He Asked For My Full Address. And Then The Other Thousand After We’re Done. He Asked For A Few Pictures Before Hand, And Then Said I Had The Job. I Would Really Like To Know If This Is A Scam.

Was trying to find out information on “The Event March 2013”. But after reading your information have decided that it is a SCAM based on the fact that one would have to pay $1950 + $895 parent fee to attend the event. Thanks so much for being a great resource for parents that want to help their kids achieve a dream! Thanks!!

Patty, They seem to be a convention and photo service, not an agency. Only an agency can get you work. If you read their website, they say “MDC offers photography..” I do not know what you are looking for, if you are looking for a photographer then you should look at their work and get some references before buying photo services.

Reputable photographers do not do conventions and cattle call formats. Reputable photographers do 1 on 1 sessions so that the model gets exactly what she wants. If you do choose to get photos from them, make sure you are clear on all fees because on top of the fee they state of 399.00 there may be fees for makeup, stylist, prints, etc.

Hi I need your help ASAP. I applied for a new Tyler Perry movie and I got a call the next day and email saying they want to meet with me. The appt is like 2 hrs away from me. He seems to be very professional. He sent me a time and location what to wear he states that I should look professional don’t be late, light make up, have a positive attitude, just the whole nine yard. I’m concerned, is this real or fake before I put myself in some trouble or spend my last dollars trying to travel. It’s called one soured talent and he ask me to meet in Chicago where to park and how to the building and that I have to give the receptionist my cold number before I enter. Help I need to know before 11/3/2012

You cannot apply online for any speaking part in any movie. Auditions for large productions are not done through online submissions, period. To book an audition, you would first need an agent. You say they told you to ” I should look professional, don’t be late, light make up, have a positive attitude”. Is that opposed to coming with a bad attitude, dressed in pajamas and late? Google the company name to get more info and try some consumer sites.

I am completely confused even after reading all of this. I took my 5 year old son to a Casting Hub audition this morning and a waiting to hear if he gets a call back. I am concerned by the comments above but at the same time I do not feel like they misrepresented who they were either. They never said they were an agency, rather a “middle man” that agents then get talent from. The crew of judges seemed legit and the logic explained in the session made sense.

I feel naive that I still am hopeful we get a callback but I know I will still have tons of questions…. Help!

This is very informative. My daughter got a call back from an
audition with Casting Hub. I don’t want to pay for POTENTIAL booking
so confused!!! However, I agree I should not have to pay
if a company is interested in my kid. So bizarre.

Does anyone know about the HBO EXTRAS on craigs list? I have an “appointment at 469 7th ave 3rd floor. I have a feeling after reading all of this that its a scam, but I got really excited about it before i researched it.

Y’all have NO idea how many times I’ve ben scammed. Acting and modeling is my passion and I’ve been trying to break into either one for the longest. I happen to live in a small city with not enough opportunities like that & I thought that all I could rely on was the Internet. Now I’ve learned that I would most likely have to travel to bigger cities in order to make things happen. Its a struggle. It seriously makes me angry that people are actually out here doing this to aspiring models/actors like me. I’ve gone thru a lot in my life & these are my dreams, so to me this is an insult. All of the websites are scams. Everybody try to sound so serious by saying things like “Craigslist” & ExploreTalent & such & such websites are scams”.I don’t care how serious they try & sound. They fool people in that way. ALL of them are scams so please beware of all websites & don’t give your money away.

Yes Casting Hub is a scam! I went to the Westin DFW int’l Hotel in Dallas. Took my 2 kids and got the packet wanting you to pay a minimum of $2000 for 3mos of local only advertising BS and up to $8000 for everywhere for 6mos! Both were chosen even though my youngest froze on the first line, Wow huh? I am not going back today for 2nd audition because they tell u be prepared to pay! They are not accreditated by BBB either so don’t give your hard earned money away, spend it on your children instead!

Can anyone who has any past run-in’s with CASTING HUB please e-mail me at bbb4@stlouisbbb.org? I work for the Better Business Bureau in St. Louis, Missouri and we are trying to do some research on this company as they are scheduling auditions here. It would be a huge help! Thanks!

They said the name is “all star talent ” . I went to their office and it looked pretty nice and cool. He told me that I have to pay about 150 for my photos then I will start working there. I only put a deposit of $10. I’m supposed to go back tomorrow to start and pay the rest! IS this legit ??? the address is 575 7th ave. 5th. floor nyc ! midtown. Can u please help me. I’m supposed to be there by 12.

Does anyone have any information on the photographer “Bumper” that Model Discovery Casting is using? Or info on Model Discovery Casting? They don’t claim to be an ageny, but they claim to have accolades from modeling agencies, which they show on their website. Apparently, they take 50 photos of you, and then give you a USB of the photos. If you buy it, it is $299. They also have a living social deal for a $100 credit towards photos or hair/make-up.

I’ve purchased a deal for my daughter to attend a photo shoot with Model Discovery Casting. They claim to have agencies that we can speak with on-site. I am in Washington DC – they seem to have gone to other states. Have you heard anything about this?

You do not need to purchase anything to get agency contact info. That information is public. Agents are not on-site to anything called “casting” since agents have no part to play in casting anything. Nor would any reputable company use the words “model discovery” in their name. Hope you did not pay too much.

I just found a casting agency called “U.S. Casting”. They seem legitimate, but I’m new to this, so I was wondering if anybody knows anything about them. They search for casting calls all around the country and send them to you. They even create a portfolio for you. You don’t have to pay for anything excpet the shipping and handling of the portfolio. They have a website that you can join, and you can also call them to set everything up. Does anybody know if this is a scam or not?

When you Google a sentence of their home page casting calls you get craigslist ads.

Major Network NOW CASTING: Children with Past Life Memories
New Mexico, Albuquerque Jobs – Craigslist (Yesterday) – NOW CASTING CHILDREN WITH PAST LIFE MEMORIES: Are you a parent whose child has or is experiencing past life memories?

Full Description:
Extras needed for a pop music video that is shooting on Monday, July 15th in Nashville. Extras needed between the hours of 2pm to 8pm. Formal dress attire required.

Problem with that is that when you submit your profile, it goes into the trash because you cannot forward through craigslist and they will not give you a direct email because the email is craigslist which is why they cover up the contact info.

Also, when sites scrape craigslist, they scrape the scams as well.

I know this because I just went through something similar. I paid for over 6 months for some other site and never got a response. My husband knows a lot about internet and started Googling the castings and found them all on Craigslist. He said the emails went to craigslist so probably not even getting my submissions. I was furious. I created a fake casting on Craigslist and the website I was paying for picked it up a few days later. I submitted myself through the site, and since craigslist was supposed to go to me, I waited. I never got my own submission and found out that Craigslist does not forward things that are not sent directly due to spam. I emailed the stupid site and wanted a refund. They told me they do not guarantee that my submission will actually reach anyone since they only act as a ‘database’ and are not accountable.

I know nothing of them or ever heard of them but I know that “shipping and handling” scams have been around for years. Not sure if this is it, but the way most work is they charge a small fee for a trial and the fee goes to “shipping” they say. Buried in their fine print, they tell you that the product is electronic and nothing actually gets shipped by mail. It confuses people past the trial period because they are waiting for a package and by the time they cancel, many charges are added for not cancelling in the trial.

okay a few weeks ago I replied to a modeling AD. he asked for a Head Shot & Qualification experience and availability. After I sent him all he requested a few days later he responded & asked me more questions & told me I had it. The person I was modeling for was a women who is a fashion designer asked me for my height size and measurements also shoe size & asked me to start practicing poses & I could bring anybody I want with me to the shoot for comfort and that his client sends $300 partial payment to her models 1st & pay $300 at the shoot. She sent me a check for $1958 & then asked if I could send 1600 of it back because the remaining was supposed to go to the company that they were renting the equipment from. I deposited the check & asked the bank to hold it to make sure that it was real and not fake
is this a scam

Yes, THIS IS A SCAM. Nobody pays models they never met, much less relies on strangers to forward money. Anyone who asks you to send money anywhere is a scam. This is the Nigerian check scam! It is also called the 419 scam http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_scam. The check is a fake. Your bank will hold you accountable for that money.

Hi, thanks for warning people about modeling scams. Do you know anythig about Model Discovery Castings and their photographer John “bumper” DeMari? Could not find much about them except their own web-pages. No mention of their allegedly celebrity and advertizing work. This is what they claim on LivingSocial: Model Discovery Casting, All-Ages Fashion Shoot with Celebrity Photographer Plus Casting Call with Modeling Agent and $100 Toward Hair, Makeup, or Photo Package. Appreciate your comments!

Not sure what they do. They sound like they do photo packages. If you are looking for photo packages, this sounds like a paid service. If they promise work IF and ONLY IF you buy their packages, then it may be deceitful. People who provide photo services are not casting directors and casting directors are not photographers.

Think of it in terms of any other industry. Would you expect to answer a want ad for a car salesman job and be told you first need to buy one of their cars to have a chance to even meet someone in HR?

I forget the name of the one in Tampa but I was able to successfully shoot them down after an unwary ad in the papers. Called the number that registers legitimate agencies and everything, it was delicious-haven’t seen the damn scam since, it was actually her second try under a new method after being taken to court a first time before.

Too bad these are more common than the real ones though, who knows any good sites to find FL auditions?

Also, I applied to a job on craigslists for manager in logistics in early May.They wanted me to send my resume and we did an over the phone interview,they sent me a job disclosure agreement,temporary employment agreement,and another form to sign and fax back.They said I will be working the first 30 days for training and if I do good I will sign a permanent employment agreement.The site is GEO-Logistics.com .I just don’t know what to believe anymore because even though them asking for my resume or doing all they’ve done, it still may be a scam.

What does logistics have to do with acting? Either way, employers meet you in person. Why would anyone hire someone sight unseen? The website you mentioned does not exist and it sounds like a Nigerian check scam. That scam works by sending out fake checks, asking people to cash them, send some unknown party some money through Western Union and keep the rest for the “great” work you have not even done. The checks (cashiers checks, money orders) are forged. The victims will be held accountable by their banks weeks later when the bank figures out the thing is fake. Many of these are on Craigslist. The Craigslist warning even tells you about this stuff and meeting people in person to be sure.

I just saw some comments about Casting Call Entertainment in las Vegas.
They are BY ANY STRETCH of the imagination a ridiculous joke.
They asked me to pay to come to an audition because they had a casting director who I was supposed to be so impressed with that I have to pay to audition for them.. WOW they should have tried that hustle on a newbie. I have been in this biz for 20 years so I sure didnt go for that

Ok, so I found a ad on craigslist in the atlanta area saying they are looking for models for an ad campaign for Tru Religion Jeans, send pics.The next day I was texted to call a number for a conference call which had about 6 other ladies on the phone as well.The guys name is Cameron Bently and he said he was the casting director.I got another text the day after and it said they loved my pics and I need to call Cameron back right away. I did, he said congrats and told me that the excutive producer Sandra Rodriguez loved my photos and that she saw me somewhere before and was really excited to work with me. He said go to elitecastin.com and pay 60 bucks to get union cleared. After I did that Sandra told me she will get back to me within a week by email. When she did, she said she sent my info to corporate and they should be getting back to me within a month. Also when you check out the site and its just how I spelled it, you you really cant do much on it.I just want to know is this is a scam.PLEASE HELP!!

I’ve Googled about this, “Audition America,” & all I’ve read was that it is a scam & that the photos weren’t professional at all. I’m 16 yrs old & I auditioned at my local mall. What I found fishy was that I wanted to auditon to be an actor, NOT a model. But they still made me walk the catwalk. After auditions, I knew I wouldn’t get picked because I messed up every line they made me say. So I was sitting patiently for the results & I was picked to continue on to the finals. They told my mom & I that since I’m new to this that I needed a portfolio (which I already knew that I needed). They told my mom that she needed to pay either the full amount of half just to save my spot for the photo shoot. My mom already payed $100. I want to know if it’s normal to have auditions at a mall? Also that my mom and I don’t know what to do.

Acting auditions are never held in malls nor do casting directors ever require you to buy photoshoots from them! Go to the mall’s portrait / photo store for mall xmas pictures. You will most likely get better pics from them.

That page redirects to some talent convention in Florida. Real auditions for Disney Channel do not have any fees nor do they need a selling section called “Success Stories”. Kinda just looks like another one of these high priced conventions. However, I am quite sure this has nothing to do with the Disney Channel. The page that it redirects to is for something called ‘The Event’ which will be in some convention room near Walt Disney World in Orlando. Page says, “Are you ready for a shot at Hollywood? This is your chance to audition, and be seen by, 60+ agents, casting directors and managers” that is a convention, they will call you and ask for money to participate. These things are not real auditions for jobs and NOT FREE. The celebrities, agents, etc. all get paid to attend and all talent pays to participate.

THE WHOLE INDUSTRY IS B.S. I GOT SCAMMED BY CASTING CALL ENTERTAINMENT IN LAS VEGAS NEVADA SHARRY FLAREHTY, GARY FAG FLYNN, PHIL VALENTINE, ART LYNCH…. SOME ARE REAL INSTRUCTORS BUT SCAMMAND LIE LIKE THEM ALL. DO NOT TRUST THESE NAMES IN THE INDUSTRY .. SCAM AND LIE AND STEAL MONEY

does anyone know anything about CastingsNYC. My son found them on Craigslist. They want him to pay $19.95 a month for a casting service to gain access to daily castings. This to me sounds like a scam. I would think your agent would get the castings and send them to you.

I will get my money back. Audition America is the one I am having issue with. I should have went with my gut on this one. I was suspicious in that I asked when the audition was set up if anything would be needed. They never mentioned money until right after the audition. I would think you would be able to have at least 24 hours to think on it or refund if you change your mind before the photo shoot session. The only reason I gave them a chance was because they were at the Mall. I did not think the Mall would allow a business to run a scam there due to the fact there would be several Angry customers (parents). That would reflect badly on the Mall. After reading this along with other sites….I guess I was wrong. I will dispute the transaction. I will file a complaint with the Mall and the BBB, etc. I will go to that Mall and warn EVERY parent that they are a scam. I will be their worst nightmare until I get a complete refund or they reverse the charges. We did not do a photo shoot so nothing was purchased. Thank you for all of this information.

hi my children recently heard an ad on the radio for an interview to be selected for a disney show called “shake it up” they were very excited so i called and set up the interview dates and times.(this weekend) they gave me a website that was called 2012 talent.com but i couldnt find it. they told me the interview was free and that i should bring 2 recent photos of the kids and dress to impress…thats it…they didnt even ask me for our last names…only the childerens. has anyone heard of this and is it a scam?

Hello, My husband heard a radio add for actors to audition for Seattle Talent, and my husband immediately thought of our 12 year old son who was really excited about acting as he had just finished a play in our community. So this past Saturday I take my son to what we thought was an audition. Upon arrival we filled out paperwork, got a number and waited for the auditions to start. Once it was time to start, we were all seated in a rented space at the Marriott Hotel. The music was on pretty loud, trying to get everyone pumped up! They had a screen slide show showing modeling pictures.
There were 2 women and Hank Ritter who was introduced as the CEO of Seattle Talent. Then there was a big hype about famous people who they claim to have found, and said that they were going to find more people who will be on tv and modeling. They said it was going to take a little work, that they were there to find 10 people to take it to the next level and really go after their dreams.
So I looked around at a room filled with parents and kids all who seemed to be getting pumped up. One of the women there with Seattle Talent catches my attention as I happen to see her glancing at my son, she is smiling and she mouths the words to me “he is so cute!” Then Hank asked for volunteers to come up and sing, just a few kids got up there and sang a little bit. Hank and the other 2 women acted impressed with the kids. Then we were told to line up 1-10, Hank and the other 2 women each had a table where they were doing their “auditions” which were so FAKE! The reason I say fake is because as each person was called up the music was totally blasting in the background, it was hard to hear, hard to concentrate, and yet the people from Seattle Talent were suppose to be listening! So we finally get called up and we speak to Hank directly. He asks my son, “Why are you here? and What can I do for you?” My son tells him who he is and some experiences he has had with media. Hank acts impressed. Hank makes comments on how cool it is! Hank seems to be interested and acts like my son has GREAT potential! (Now I will say this right here…this is a set up for a bad situation. You have a young kid who has dreams that wants to take on something new, and you have a mom –who is older and you would think wiser, but still unsure if this is really the way to go about it—but still she loves her child and she of course wants the best for her child!! So if mom goes against the salesman then it is almost as if she is not supportive of her would be, possible actor, or model.) The audition ends with a “What number can I reach you at tonight?” “I have some ideas.”
Later that evening we get a call, so we think ok even though we had other plans because it was Mother’s Day, I thought well it can’t really hurt going and talking to them, could it?
So remember now supposedly only 10 are getting called back “to take it to the next level” we arrive to find 2 sign in papers with way more than 10 names on it!!
We should have left and gone home right then!
My husband and son have a seat, and we see other parents and children waiting as well. I ended up taking a phone call from my other son and ended up visiting on the phone for an hour, while I kept looking over at my husband and son who were waiting so patiently. We finally get called in by one of the women employed by Seattle Talent, again the music was on, and the woman actually turned it up louder before we sat down to talk about “the opportunity to take it to the next level” which was merely a sales plot to sell their acting classes, a photo shoot, and a supposed audition for an agent. The woman of course, played it up BIG talking to my son, and of course acting like she believes it is worth signing up for the classes, how absolutely adorable my son is and how marketable he is, how he would do so well in commercials or TV. (Again another situation that is a complete set up! What mom doesn’t like to hear positive comments about her kids! But the real question is what mom would go against someone who is claiming to be in the know about talent and saying no to the classes, on Mother’s Day of all days!! Especially when it is one of your child’s dreams.)
It is a lot of pressure. We of course wanted to support our son. So we went back and forth about funding for it. We left and we were going to send her the payment by 8pm by texting. Which I feel like a fool to say that we did!
Then the very next morning my husband feels not so good about it.
I check the contract and it is suppose to have a $500 nonrefundable fee.
I freaked out! I checked online and found out more about this being a fraud.
We didn’t know what to do. My husband ended up calling Hank directly.
Hank knew about our financial situation, and some other circumstances.
Hank offered a cheaper price. We declined. Hank was fair and totally refunded the money. Which was really a miracle cause he did not have to refund the $500 non-refundable registration fee. So thank you once again for the refund Hank! But I am so glad that we did not get sunk on the deal on paying a ton of money for nothing! Buyer beware!!

Thank you so much for taking the time to post this long review but I read the whole thing and it sounds exactly like what I have gone through today and I was really unaware of the money and classes. I am only 18 and there is no way I could afford to pay the $500 for classes that they wanted, I will continue to search somewhere else. Thank you for helping out!

Wow. I’m glad I found your site! I’ve modeled before, but have been out of it for about 6 yrs. I’ve dont commercials, tv, print ads, and runway. I was with 4 different agencies throughout Ohio, and never paid a fee or took classes. Only paid for comp cards. Today I sought out an agency in Akron. I realized I made a mistake. I took photos of me currently, and one from a few years back, that was a professional one. I left them there thinking that it would be ok. I gave them my address in our initial talk. I took along DVDs of my commercials and runway experience, but she didn’t want to watch them today – the talent scout. She wants me to come back in a few days for the “open call” that’s going to last 1 1/2 hrs – complete with application, talk and interview???? Did research tonight, and sadly, they charge for classes – upwards of thousands.

Greetings! Up popped advertising for something called seattle Models/Seattle Talent. They seemed ‘different’ from my previous disappointments in that they claimed–on the ads– that modeling (as opposed to TV ‘star’ opportunity) was their main thing and that they could show you off to ‘national talent scouts’ who might sign you up.
Is this on the level in ANY capacity? I did check consumer gripes pages and already there were two studious warnings. Many thanks for you Xcellent watchdog post.

I don’t control the ads. They are served by a third party, same as most other sites. Yes there are conventions that get together lots of hopeful models and have agents attend to see if they like any of the models. Problem is that those places charge large fees for the opportunity regardless of whether they believe you are suited or not and unfortunately, most are not and pay for nothing. There is a small percent that do seem to get signed at these types of things but those are usually people who would have been signed by an agent anyway. read this http://www.modelingscams.org/modelingconventions.html

I also want to find out where i can find a real agency were i dont have a fee to pay, i also wanted to know if you always have to pay for the photographers to take your pictures and make a portfolio of makeup columbia mo.

There are a few agency lists on this site, also check with the unions. Yes, you would normally pay for the photos, but you should pick the photographer. I real agency may give you a list of photographers they like but they will not charge you for photos. Only the photographer should charge you.

Sandy, don’t waste your time. My wife and daughter attended the 2nd session . They wanted the min $2k for a 3 month deal. The only thing they offer are classes and they mentioned they will provide information on auditions. Casting hub does not even want to give you their phone number so you can call back. They did not even want to provide their BBB number.

I attended a casting call for my daughter today from Casting hub .com
Have you heard of them? We are suppose to go back or a 2nd audition this week but I don’t want to waste my time with a fake audition.

their TOS says “CastingHub.com (“CastingHub”) “a social casting search”™ is not an employment agency, school, performing arts academy, management company or a talent agency. CastingHub does not engage in training, procuring, offering, promising, or attempting to procure employment or engagements for artists.” bottom of page. They say they DO NOT procure employment so not sure what an audition would be for.

They basically say they give you info about upcoming auditions, same thing this site does. They may charge a fee. Some services charge for the info. They say “thousands of castings” but only seen to have about 70 at the moment

People do not travel mall to mall, renting space, for free. There will be some payment required and they already seem fishy because the website does not disclose it.
I randomly Google’d some of their success stories. One of the girls modeled 12 years ago and has not done anything else in 9 years. Audition America Tour has only been around since 2011. 3 other girls on their site, I can’t even find other than on their testimonial page, and, they share the same success stories with another new ‘fishy’ site, model pipeline which seems to try to sell portfolios. Not sure what you mean by real or fake? If you want to know if they are an agency? They are not and only an agent can find you work.

hello have you heard of Modern Talent Group? they told me all i had to pay for was my photo shoot which turns out to be like 840 and after that they would satrt booking auditions for me. Is this a scam?

I found About Faces in Atlanta. There are some negative reports about them. The reports claim they are a modeling school and charge money for classes they offer, photos, etc. You can Google them for more info. Remember, an agency will sign you without you needing to take THEIR classes. Agencies asking you to pay high fees in order to be accepted are most likely scams. Agents make their money from commissions when talent is booked, not from upfront fees paid by the talent. Anyone busy pushing their own services has no time to push you, the talent.

You can get a list of agents from the unions or you can check the agents list on this site. Yes, you always have to pay for photos, but you do not pay the agent. An agent should only recommend a photographer and not force you to use theirs. There are many fake agencies that are basically a photo mill.

Hi , i was told to come back to one source talent for another evaluation and they said there is a fee of 400 for the photos their going to take, they seem so real i really want to go but i also dont want to lose money or be scamed.what should i do?

I have been told I’m cast in a film but the whole thing seems fishy. I can’t find any information online other than the casting notice and I’m trying to figure out where to look. Any suggestions? I’m in touch with a lot of the other cast members and we’re all pretty frustrated. I can give you more information via email if you need it.

Getting cast as anything other than an extra is a long process of auditions and call backs. If you never auditioned in person, then yeah, may be fishy. If it is as an extra, they will tell you when to be on set when they need you. Just don’t pay anyone any money.

Las Vegas Casting Call Entertainment ripped me off. its a scam and stole my money.
crappy work beyond belief done by kids who dont know anything.
what a joke. I am out 800 bucks total and I got reemed. I looked into them later and they are a scam. I should have done my homework.

Audition America Tour? Has anyone heard or have any experience with this company? They are holding auditions at the mall. My son age 2 made it to the second round. This first audition was free however after they told us he passed they wanted to schedule a round 2 audition in which he would take photos, show talent, and walk the runway. They asked for $297 for his photo session, that they would release the copyright on a disk they would be given to me. They would also put together a portfolio for him that I would receive and they will give me access to their website to view the photos. They also will market him to agencies to find work for him. Now I have went to agencies before for myself and they all want money for photos or comp cards, I want to know if this is a scam or waste of my time? I’ve already paid $150 but I look at it as a photo session no different from olan mills, Walmart etc where I paid way more for photos. .as long as I get the photos I won’t be as mad as if I leave empty handed. Please help with your thoughts….

They seem to be a pay to play event company. Their site says they go to malls, city to city and put on small shows and what not. Did you ever ask what are you auditioning for? Is it for the opportunity to PAY THEM? You do not need an audition to get a portfolio made, you simply call a photographer. Fake auditions are a salesman’s way of making people feel “chosen” and “special”. A photo shoot and portfolio for a 2 year old is USELESS!!!!!! toddlers do not need pro photos, before the pics are even developed your kid will grow and change. No agent asks for professional headshots from babies. For babies, toddlers and small children a snapshot is optimal because it is CURRENT. Anyone who tries to convince you a baby needs a professional portfolio is a liar!!!!!!

As a challage I posted a ad on a site with some pics that were taken of me. A week later, I was contacted by a guy Bryan in NJ ( I live in New Olreans). He told me he would fly me to NJ for a shoot. I would need to bring a few different style clothing(business, club, casual, bathing suit), do my own makeup and hair (none of these a problem). He stated the pics would be posted to a website for “clients” to look at for different looks. What is the catch here?

Hi Casting time/ Jim, dont worry i have no plans to cash this cheque, what this Gregory guy doesnt know is i work for the Ministry of Justice and will be investigating this further, hopefully trace this person. My fear is there will be somebody out there who may be gullible enough to fall for this scam. Jim i’ll email you separately if thats ok. Thanks

What happened to you excatly happened to me as well. I received a check title 1895 pound from Gregory Dippipo. I haven’t proved its reality so far. But what r u going to do with this? Can we be in touch? liuchuyhing@gmail.com

This Gregory Dippipo is defo a FAKE! I was told i would be receiving payment for the supposed photoshoot for GQ Mag is New york and it arrived to my home address alright just that its an illegit cheque. Im finding this quite entertaining and wondering how far this guy is gonna go. The only personal info ive given out is my home address could this potentially be risky?

I just looked at it…. here is the first casting I saw:
National Toyota Commercial
We are looking for attractive people that can express themselves though subtle facial expressions,
people who seem real. They must be comfortable in themselves, exude confidence and charm.
Ages 17 -40ish all ethnicities and sizes Non Union
Just leave a comment and with the word “Toyota” and upload your best headshot to the comment section
Shoot takes place in North Carolina March 9th, 10th all expenses paid.
______
First of all, National commercials for large brands use agents, they have the budget. They DO NOT troll through 100?s of comments on random sites. Really, who has the time?
Then I looked at the next one for Axe body spray, again, really, think they have a shortage of hot pros so they are looking at comments. The ad was posted by Angela Scafidi Casting. The only place that Angela Scafidi Casting appears is on their site… so this ‘real’ casting director has no Facebook, twitter, business website? All Angela has is her profile there? How did she get the Axe gig without a business?
When in doubt, Google it!
When you Google Model Muse see what you get.
make your own judgement.
Many sites like that are ‘lead generators’ meaning they just want your info because they will have their sales people call you with other services or they are trying to sell online portfolios that no one will ever see because casting directors do not randomly browse online profiles. If they did, they could find millions (500 million+) ‘real’ people on Facebook.
Also, their site description says ‘Models & Photographers sharing what they know with who they know’ which seems like they are trying to get a Model Mayhem type community going – What the site description does not say is anything about booking jobs for anyone.
Another really bad sign is that the domain is registered anonymously and is hiding the owner information. It was created a few months back in October of 2011 and is set to expire in October of 2012. It is hosted by a free service called Ning.com – Not a long term business plan.

Hello,
Have a free profile on model muse where you can reply to post from casting calls. I received an email from Top castings USA, office number and a new talent division. They told me that the ad i originally sent my pictures for was booked and that they were considering me for another ad. I called the number and spoke to a very professional talent director- she gave me advise and said that they are a casting company not an agency. Also, I have to activate this link for 19.95 per month no contract and it will give me daily alerts on casting. The only thing is she sounds legit but the emails she sent me didnt but I don’t know – what should I do?

is I Am fake or is it a real company? They had a casting call on the radio, they say that they give my son 5 rehearsals and help him get ready for auditions. They said in 5 weeks there is an international audition they want to get him ready for. Can you please help? The cheapest package they offer is 2000.00,

sounds like they are selling you lessons. There is no such thing as an international audition for unknown kids. Agents do not do radio commercials. 5 lessons for 2k sounds very expensive, real acting classes are cheaper and you will get more.

Ample Productions ring a bell to anyone. A man saying he was the manager there offered me a gig. The Problem is he seems more concerned about mailing me a check to cover booking and fashion designer cost. He even sent me a contract that looks legit. Do agencies do this and say I receive the rest of the funds a day after the shoot. It sounds fishy to me please give me some insight.

Anyone asking to mail you a check before a job is scamming you. That is the Nigerian check cashing scheme. They send out checks, ask someone to cash it and send money back to them to cover their production costs. Do not do it. The checks are fake and victims are left on the hook with their banks.

Funny, the web servers time stamp is way off. Always has been. The time is stamped as the computer is setup and this one has always been a day off. Never felt the need to fix it. This is the west coast, time is just wrong. Maybe you are right and I should finally set it. 🙂

Is Hickory pictures a real agency? They came to my son’s school and he was “picked” to come for an audition. When I emailed they said all the spots were full and they would be back in this area in March.. The more I think about it the more skeptical I am. So I was just wondering. Thanks.

sent by a reader
DO NOT FALL FOR THE CASTING QUOTED BELOW AS IT IS A SCAM:

Male and Female Models Urgently Needed –
Casting notice posted on auditionsfree.com, casting location: UK
The Indulgent Show is looking for male and female models for an exciting fashion show in aid-of-make-a-wish- foundation

The fashion show is taking place Monday 29th February 2012, and models will be showcasing 15 amazing collections from designers.Models need to be free both day/evening -Transportation,food and drink will be provided and professional photographers will be at the event.

Work is fully paid for and is a great opportunity for those looking for modelling experience and to expand their portfolios.

hi there. i recently heard an add on the radio for a company called seattle talent owned by a man named hank ritter (we met him yesterday). they were looking for models, singers and actors, ages 2-24, first 100 callers only… that sort of thing. we made an appointment for my 10 year old son and attended the first audition/presentation. they claim to have discovered karan brar (diary of a whimpy kid), vlad ivanov(international model), josh duhmal(transformers), alexis sanches(grown ups) and many more. they came to carson city nv claiming that they generally do these things in reno, but they wanted to get some of the smaller surrounding areas. my son got a call back (from the owner himself) and they would like us to come back tonight. there didnt seem to be a lot of pressure. he said if things didnt work out we could try again in 6 months or a year. i believe what they are doing is selling classes. hank suggested a 5 week class for my son at the cost of $2900. i dont know if we’ll be asked to sign a contract or not. i have googled both the name of the company and the name of the owner. there doesnt seem to be anything bad about them on the internet, but there isnt much about them at all outside of there facebook page, blog spot and website. it appears that maybe the owner is/was affilliated with jrp. any information you have would be most helpful. thank you for your time.

Its a bait and switch sales tactic. Yes, they are selling classes but they did not tell you that originally to get you in the door. The ad never said ‘acting classes being sold now’. The ads usually say ‘Looking for new talent for Disney, Nickelodeon and other brands’. These companies find people at malls, through ads, etc. they always claim to be talent scouts looking for people to cast for Disney etc. Once in their offices they try to sell you on classes, photo shoots, portfolios etc. These types of rackets go city to city renting conference rooms and temporary offices.

They can not find anyone work because they are NOT agents, they are sales people selling very expensive acting classes. The classes are normally taught by unqualified people and most people who have been taken by these claim that they wasted their money. If you want your son in a class, contact a real acting school. These classes are also worthless on a resume.

You can’t find anything out online, good or bad because they change locations and names often to fly under the radar.

neha devi singh
Thank you for the inspiring words! I am very grateful to have found this site to!!! The fact that this site is taking the time to help others without a $fee$ is so rare these days!! This world is all about money!! People only care about themselves and fame. It’s really sad! It’s feels really good to be reminded that there are still good people out there!! Thank you again!!

PLEASE HELP! How do you get experience for modeling or acting? I have done runway and photo shoots before and love it! I’m just wondering how do I find jobs with little to even no pay of course lot’s of money would be great! Although experience is well worth it. As you said you need experience to get an agency for the bigger jobs. Right? I say this because I am willing to help a new magazine or someone starting out a clothing line because I know they don’t have the funds yet to pay for a know model. Also I love helping others with there dreams to! I’m getting to do what I love to do! I love the camera its the time I get to play a different person! If there’s anyone that could PLEASE take some time to help me with any advice or answers, It would truly mean the world to me! I know there are models/ actresses that have the same true passion for this field as I do! Thanks! “May all your dreams come true!”

Thanks so much for your response.
It means a lot to me. Also, for those who have been following. I thought i’d give fate a chance or for the sake of calling their bluff, and therefore got prepared for the audition and waited on skype, and waited some more. No one turned up. Now I could argue that something came up or my phone had decided to act at up at the same time so there was no final confirmation. But i had left messages on skype and text messages on the numbers so they i was there.
Im just relieved nothing wierd happened. Perhaps it was an opportunity missed though im more inclined to believe a disaster averted.
I just wanted anyone reading this and hopefull to please refer to the cardinal rule above all else…when your gut tells you somethings off…first run a mile in the opposite direction! then take 5 mins to rethink and re evaluate everything; and dont be afraid to ask for advice from anyone you think may help.
Its what i did. Guess it was a game of chicken and they blinked first.

Todays interconnected world offers many opportunities and equal measures of perils. please be careful
I am very thankful i found this site. thank you so much for your input and help.

hi,
ive been reading this forum and would seriously appreciate a quick response!
I am an actor based out of India. I think i may have been roped into some scam. A few days ago, some man named steve hodgson messaged me on whatsapp saying hes seen my profiles online and would i be interested in international projects? the profiles he mentioned do exist online and any determined individual can track down a number so i gave him the benefit of the doubt. after a brief chat and exchange of profile he put me onto a well known hollywood director, again on whatsapp. Out of sheer curiosity, i decided to communicate with this director, now, after various legitimate conversations, he has scheduled a screen test on skype.

the funny thing is, i dnt know if any well established director would communicate directly with an unknown artist (building rapport or not)
also, everytime i would try and dig deep they would stonewall or beat around the bush but when i try to politely apologise for wasting their time and walk away they came back with legitimate responses and made noises about how i simply fit the role and thats why they are taking all this trouble.

points to ponder:
– no trace of this steve hodgson online in any capacity as a casting agent
– the film in question is in the news but barely so
-why would a scam artist go to such lengths and then offer to come on skype?
– when i tried to ask for proof of identity and creds, the director threw a fit and claimed to be insulted. so i said ok sorry and bye bye
-he came back two hrs later saying something about not letting ego get in the way of work and set up the test again
– when i offered to fly in for a live audition , he said come at your own expense
– is it true that production teams would look at screen test scores based on various stages and then validate and call back and issue tickets for those needed to be flown in for live auditions?
– are most agents and directors borderline rude and almost using bullying tactics like going off in a huff iif you dnt respond in 5 mins
-i believe if its really a big budget film nd they r so so keen on me then they should wait or show some creds.

even as i write this i am beginning to feel silly. I dont know and am quite confused. please help

None of what you said is common practice nor will casting directors use bully / hard sale tactics. Sounds like a sales pitch for either some kind of service or worse, a check cashing scam. Both are very common and scammers use online profiles to find victims. Sometimes these scams are so long lasting that they wait a long time before asking for money or asking someone to cash a bad check.

Hi, my daughter applied to fear factor on the official website and got a call back and an email. He said that hes looking at her to be on an episode. She doesnt live in LA so she would eventually skype with a producer. She needs to send pics in to set up a profile. If she gets picked and she goes on the show….she gets paid even if she doesnt win the big money. She needs to send in $300 to have a profile set up so she would have it if she wants to apply to other reality shows. She would get the $300 back when she goes on the show. Shes excited but i wanted to see if this is a scam.

There is no charge to audition and they should not ask anyone to pay to create a profile. You did not apply to the official fear factor, seems like you applied to something that may have tricked you into thinking it was.

You will NEVER get the 300 back and the REAL Fear Factor casting directors will most likely never get her info to even cast her on the show because you have to submit all your info on their site. Casting Directors in California are NOT allowed to charge talent for auditions period.

Hi my name is Amro i want to act am not going to say am the best actor in the world but i can show you that am good and am Egyptian i live in AZ TEMPE am 17 and am brown hire 5.5 ft brown eyes and i have an nice accents and i talked to Steven Spielberg,Adam Sandler,Shia Labeouf managers and a lot more and they all side to me your good to goo i just need to start and it would be an honor to work with you.

There is criteria that needs to be met for it to post. Your ad did not meet that criteria.

The criteria is as follows:
I do not post auditions that have high fees attached (those are basically ads and not a job offer)
I do not post any ads that require photos be sent other than the standard headshots
I do not normally post ads that require videos be posted publicly
I do not post anything I am uncomfortable with

He previously mentioned that he would screen any comments, I’m not positive but I think for safety, he is not posting ads, just for the sole purpose. He could potentially scam other families. I’m sure it isn’t personal, however if he authorized every ad, this page could be filled with several other scams.

Okay, this ‘Hickory Pictures’ is coming to my school for a casting call, they have specific in what they want, it asks for a non’returnable photo, and left a number to call for questions. But doesn’t ask for info, thought it does say in this contract thing, that i will have to evetualy of course give it to them. Do they all have these little contracts on the back?? Or what idk, jw if it was real and worth goin to.

I went to this casting call for talent and they said not professionals and stuff like that and then they said it costs. So like 6 months later there was another one but a different company name? But the funny part was i talk to the same guy!! I couldn’t believe it and that cost to! I was wondering if you have ever heard of the company name TAI? I tried looking it up after about 6 more months and I can’t find it!

Scams change names often, as soon as any bad press comes along, they switch company names. NEVER pay to audition. An audition is just a job interview for actors, if you were a cook, you would never pay to interview at some restaurant! Also, it is not legal and any company asking for money at a chance at a job is breaking the law. They know that, that is why most of them have a paragraph in their TOS that states “They are not an agent, an employer or casting director and have zero to do with getting anyone a job”. Sales people can tell you anything on the phone to get their commission, once the money is paid, you never hear from them again and they are protected because their scripts are written in a way that skirts it all. i.e They say so and so casting director is very interested in someone “just like you”. You hear “you” but that is not what they said, it’s what you wanted to hear.

Disney does hold open calls a few times a year. They are announced a few weeks prior. Other than those, the only way to get an audition with a Disney Channel show is through an agent. There is a list of acting agents on the site as well as the union sites.

I recently went on ‘seek.com.au’ looking for work. I came across an add looking for people for modelling and TV by a agency called Spy Model Agency, which said to go on their website and fill out an application form that only asked for details like name, age, hair/eye colour, height and address and phone number. They didn’t ask for a photo. I did that and a few days later received an email telling me that my application is being processed and they will let me know. I received another email after that saying that my application has been approved and that they would like me to meet with 2 talent manager in an inner city cafe so that hey can decide whether to sign me. They also said if they do decide i will have to pay $95 deposit to book photographer and later on for the portfolio or if i have one i might have to do it again if it doesn’t fit their image. I checked their website and it looks kind of legit. I am just a little worried so if u could help me i would greatly appreciate it. 🙂

I found an ad on craigslist about an upcoming reality show that I responded to, I sent him a few pictures of my face and stated why I wanted to be in the reality show because that’s what it asked for, I then got a reply saying
“I feel that you would be perfect
for the new tv series! After

viewing over 500 photos,

I am leaning towards choosing you.

I need you to convince me a little more.

Write me again and tell me from

your heart, why I should choose you!!” I then sent back a response and informed him of some drama that may be useful for a reality tv show and he responded “Amber:

The new television series details are confidential. If I decide to choose you, your smmer adventure & relationship, will be a welcomed change in reality tv.

I will be in Wilmington soon, we can grab dinner together and discuss your desire to appear on the new reality series.” obviously I don’t want to meet with someone if it’s a scam and end up being kidnapped or killed, so what is your opinion on this.

It is free to apply for Amazing Race . It is free to apply for all reality shows. If you want to apply for any show, you gotta do it directly, i.e. use the shows contact info. That is the only way to know if the application was sent.

Hi. So yeah I signed up for webiste so they can help me get auditions so a few days later they called me talking about all the thing that they can do fro me and etc. And after all the sweet talking the man on the phone said yeah you will just have to pay like 90 dollar for three free months or something like that. and then he’s like how would you like to pay using a check or credit card. and it seemed like he was rushing me into like I couldn’t get a chance to think. But something told me no this is a scam. And when I said no I have to think about it, he’s like don’t miss out on this opportunity, everyone’s gotta give up something and etc. he was just very anxious to make me pay. Scam isnt it?

this man named frank emailed me talking bout a tommy hilfiger modeling contract that i wouldnt have to pay anything and we would be able to work with you in your area close by so no traveling would be necc.he told me to chose my rate for 2 hours nd my information is needed to get the cashupfront i wont pay for the photographer hairstylest nothing everything finacially would be takin care of by the company so what do i do is dis a scam?

Cash up front is always a scam. No one pays people sight unseen and trusts them. This is most likely the Nigerian check scam which gets people to cash fake checks, money orders, etc., wire them money for something and keep the rest as pay. After you wire the money, your bank tells you the check is fake and holds you accountable to pay them back. Never cash checks from people you do not know.

If you recently sent in a portfolio for a gig then maybe, but if someone emails you out of the blue then it is some sort of scam for sure. They ALWAYS tell you it’s free at first, then they get you in there or on the phone and talk you into stuff. Watch out for that. Fashion houses do not email people offering work. They use agents.

Have you met them? did they explain to you specifically what you will be casting for, for modeling?
Are they already in your area? Why would someone come to you and have you model for them? many agencies as in Explore Talent will tell you that if you get a modeling gig that they will pay for for your portfolio, and you won’t even get to keep the clothes, they also explain to you that they are not responsible for anyone that you are asked to be casted for, to use your very own judgement that alone should be a red flag.

I had used them and when trying to contact them, I end up speaking to someone from the Philippines, who lied to me when I asked to speak to the American that I spoke to. The lady even tried to change her accent and sound American which was funny in itself.

I was under the impression they were a liaison, the middle person. But for their $59 they already made a profit off of me and my kids pictures are on the profile that I cannot take down. I signed up and was how can you sign up for an agency with no signature, but they sure got my credit card number. There should be forms to fill out before you sign in with ANY agency!

They are not an agency. The money you paid was for a profile. Their site states…. ExploreTalent is not an employment agent or modeling agency & does not procure, get, promise employment, jobs or booking.

what are your opinions about one-source talent? They contacted me and asked me to trael to nyc…once there i ws informed that i was selected for the company and that when i came back, i would need to bring 500…and not only that but i would also be required to pay 40 a month for a digital fee…what is up with that?

Don’t do it. You should never have to pay to get a job and actually new laws have made such practices not legal, such as the “paying for a chance at an audition” and other such vague, now illegal, practices. If you want a FREE profile, create a Facebook, MySpace, etc. Telemarketers are notorious for playing on dreams (and words) in this industry. If you listen to the sales pitch carefully, you will see they are selling you on very expensive web space, pictures and conventions. None of which include getting you work because they ARE NOT agents or casting directors and have zero to do with casting anything.

I saw and replied to this model/acting post Saturday. They had contacted me through the phone Tuesday. I can’t remember what exactly he said and sorry for not using correct terms but bare with me. He had said his higher up or I guess supervisor had saw my 3 basic photos I had attached to the e-mail on my reply to the post to show you know basically if my looks are needed. Lol So as we were talking on the phone he told me is Sunday 5 pm good, he gave me the address of course, but I completely forgot to ask other questions also instead of just agreeing on the basics. So he say they are in Atlanta, like its in the post I know. I didn’t ask what was the company name so I could look it up if it was really legit, but he told me to show up 15-20 mins early, dress properly, and when I come in look for Bredon, if I spelled it right. He also told me I can call either him or the office if I had any questions. I don’t wanna call today on Christmas and ruin it for me and them. Shoot who know I just might!

Sounds like a scam. Legit agencies keep Monday through Friday office hours, not Sunday evenings. Scams like to do weekends because they want working folks who have money. Scams LIVE on Craigslist, I have yet to see a legit modeling or acting agent advertise on Craigslist. Actually, most legit agents do not advertise. All legit companies would tell you their company name. If you go, they will try to sell you something. What does “dress properly” mean anyway?

My daughter also just “auditioned” for -Seattle Talent here in Washington.
She got the call back and then when we meet with them it was the same as listed bleep they wanted us to sign a contract and pay over $2000 in 4 payments. I understand that you feel this is too much for acting classes and not legit. Where do you recommend as a class or workshop that would be valid experience on a resume?

I went to an audition called 321 shine and I got call backs. I’m ONLY 11 and I got scammed. If auditions for movies or anything ask for money its a scam. They asked my mom for 1,950 dollars but my mom is poor so they asked for 500. I don’t under stand. I was crying so bad, they are like robbers and kidnappers, they just want money and they crush little kids dreams….

I hope you are not crying about losing the opportunity. The people that do this are not casting directors, they cannot get you a role. I hope you don’t feel like you lost your opportunity, there wasn’t one there to lose. They are salespeople. Don’t give up on your dreams just realize it will take work, not just money. Remember, most dreams don’t come easy. I know quite a few child actors, the thing they all have in common is they worked at it. They do tons of theater shows, local productions, etc, to get some experience and then the parents put a resume together that they sent out to agents. REAL agents do not charge up front fees. From there, they got auditions for bigger projects.

I was about to go to an audition for Barbazon,(I AM ONLY TEN PEOPLE!) when me and my mom did some research cause, my mom’s friend got an audition and got scammed! (I was invited to it at south Center mall after seeing Nine Lives) Turns out they are BIG FAT Lying SCAMMERS! That’s right. I did LOTS of research and read this! I was about to get scammed people. Then I decided I DID NOT, want to go any more. A DARN TEN YEAR OLD ALMOST GOT SCAMMED. THESE PEOPLE ARE LYING BUTT HEADS THAT ARE SELFISH AND ONLY CARE ABOUT ONE THANG….. MONEY! (Like Donald Trump, my opinion) They. Are. Dream. Crushers. Of. Little. Kids.
I suggest that you NEVER go here. I HATE THESE PEOPLE! *Screams and Cries*

You will most definitely lose your money. You cannot buy fame for a few thousand dollars. If that was possible, everyone would be a super star. Agencies make money from booking their talent in productions with the productions footing the bill. If a company makes money by charging the talent then they obviously have no way to actually book talent.

Hi, just got an audition for IMTA on Saturday May 27.2017 my son is 5 year-old but on Sunday May 28 2017. I went there to see them they tall me the package for Son cost 785:00$ I need to give 4,000$ now and after couples day to give the rest of the money I feel something wrong but I didn’t give them know money yet since is memorial day Monday May 29 2017 so there’s no bank open but what’s make me feel like is a scam because he give me an account number where to deposit the money for casting, please help thank you.

I’ve been scammed. Nine9 told me that they would make me an actor. They completely scammed me! I don’t know if it was a scam or if they could not respond to the thousands of emails I sent!! But they can get to other people.